Catching Flight
by PetrovasWolf
Summary: After Tessandra's father dies and her mother runs out on her, Tessa is left with her older sister Andre. They move to Beacon Hills in hopes they can began a new and easy life but that turns out to be anything but. Tessandra tries to keep herself secluded from everyone, but ends up getting roped into a world she never knew existed. SEASON 1
1. Chapter 1

**AN: I have been working on this story for a couple of days and already have three other chapters filed away. I am really hoping this story gets more attention and that you guys enjoy it! I have tried doing a story like this but I have really focused on detail and story line through this. I have worked with the relationships with the characters and not making it easy like I had before. I have been paying careful attention to the story line and not making mistakes or mixing up things. I hope you guys enjoy! And the disclaimer will be the only disclaimer I put throughout the story.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf, it's characters, or it's story line. I take ownership of of Tessa and her family along with her story line.**

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I wished it were raining.

The brightly burning sun didn't match my mood very well and it was only making me even more aggravated. It was glistening through the windows covered by a thin rack of blinds and it cast shadows across the desks placed around me. I ignored it, tapping my fingers rapidly against the wooden surface and bouncing my legs like a spastic mess. I was thankful no one else was in the room with me at the moment. Andre had gone down with the principal to fill out some paperwork and ask a few personal questions about me. I knew what they were going to discuss. It was going to be about my mother running off into the sunset with a duffel bag and her bike while my father was packed tightly into the ground, sleeping and breathless. I had turned myself into an emotionless robot, caring only about little. Counselors and therapists told Andre that I was still just in shock from the disappearance of my mother and sudden death of my father but that wasn't the case.

In any other point of my life before now, I would have been self-conscious of the way I looked. I would have been slouched down, protecting my face from any other human being, and trying to do my best of reinventing my outfit that suited my conditions. I had plucked out a pair of jeans that were stopped at the bottom of my heel and an old sweatshirt from when I decided to join the swim team at my old high school. I'd managed to grab a pair of tennis-shoes from my tornado I called a suitcase and then threw my hair back into the messiest of messy buns. There was not a single speck of makeup to be traced on my face and it gave me the freedom to rub my face as my fatigue grew by the minutes I sat here waiting for my sister to finish her interrogation with the principal.

It was a waste of his time. I didn't tell Andre anything about how I felt or what had happened inside the hospital before she got there. I hadn't told anyone and I was hoping it was going to stay that way. I didn't need everyone to know the details about my personal experience and making me feel worthless and pathetic. I hated when people asked me if I was okay or if there was anything they could do for me. All of the answers were obvious. I wasn't okay and there was not a damn thing they could do for me unless they had magical witch powers that brought people back from the dead. I only cared about my father at this point. He was dead and I still had more respect for him than my mother. She had given up, dropped her responsibility as a mom and left Andre and I to fend for ourselves. I was lucky enough to have my sister as a senior in college. She wasn't completely clueless about how to run a life but she was inexperienced in the department of taking care of a sophomore in high school. She had turned twenty one last month which meant she was eligible to be my legal guardian.

I didn't have a tough relationship with my sister. I just wasn't willing to share all of my thoughts and feelings in a normal relationship between siblings. Sure we fought like everyone does, but we got along for the most part. She would make us dinner and breakfast if she was up early enough. She offered to take me to school since we couldn't afford another car and even offered to bring me to any school events if I ever got up to it which I wasn't so I told her she didn't have to worry. I wasn't looking to make many friends or try to fit in with the popular crowd. I was worried about finishing all of my classes and forcing my way through the year. I had considered dropping out but then I swiftly remembered that I would not end up like my mother. I would be like my father, grow up to be like Andre. She was successful just like my father had been. Her grades were above average and she'd been awarded with so many honors, it used to fill up an entire wall in my house. I'd been trying, working my _ass_ off to get my own wall and some of it had paid off but not all like I wanted to. I was still working on becoming a better, more determined version of myself. This was just a bump in the road.

There was a click from the door and I stopped moving, snapping my head in the direction of the noise. Slowly, the door opened and Andre poked her head in. She didn't step all the way inside until she made eye contact with me and then gave me a weak smile. I could see her flushed cheeks and tangled hair from all the way on the other side of the room. She was flustered which meant the conversation with the principal might have gone a bit differently than I had expected. Maybe it was more of an interrogation than a discussion about my well-being.

I swallowed thickly, licking my lips and then getting to my feet. It was my turn. Andre had the doom of going first but there wasn't any way out of my time. I knew they'd want to talk to me if they brought me here the day before school. They had notified my sister multiple times-sending her e-mails and pre-recorded calls. The principal had even put it in his best interest to send her a personal voicemail when my sister refused to answer any more calls from the school. I didn't blame her. They were acting as if we had committed a crime and they needed answers now. They were like toddlers pulling at our pant legs and calling our names redundantly until we kicked them off with a loud scream and flail of our arms. They were breaking us down and making us vulnerable so they could get all the answers they needed before I started school.

"Are you gonna be okay?" Andre asked as I made my way over to the door. I hesitated to answer, pausing beside her. I kept my eyes down to the floor before I shrugged my shoulders and looked up.

"It depends. Question is: will _he_ be okay?" I countered her raising my eyebrows and making her eyes widen with terror. I snickered devilishly and smirked, shaking my head and walking out through the door. I heard her growl exasperatedly and she slammed the door behind me, the wood meeting the metal with a loud crash.

It echoed through the ghostly hallways and I slowly trudged my way down to the office which wasn't far away from the classroom I had been waiting it. It wouldn't have been hard to find anyways. There were lights coming from the office and a few voices emitted from the single secretary and the principal whose name I still had yet to learn. I wasn't sure if I was even interested in learning it. I wouldn't be seeing much of him anyways. I planned to keep a low profile, keep myself out of trouble, and not issue chaos upon the high school filled with kids just waiting for it to happen so they'd be able to crawl their way out of this hell hole.

Finally, I turned into the office and brushed passed the secretary, not sparing her a glance as I approached the open doorway of the principal's office. He was filing away some papers from the time he'd just spent with my sister and I quickly checked his name tag sitting on the front of his desk. _Principal Thomas._ He was younger looking, a nicely ironed suit fitting his thin form. His cheekbones were rough and there was stubble of red hair growing across his face. He wore a pair of square shaped glasses over his squinted eyes. He lifted his head up and realized I had entered his room.

"Tessandra, it's nice to see you again." Principal Thomas greeted, folding his hands over a vanilla envelope and sending me a smile that made me want to choke myself. He was going to be this kind of guy. I didn't like these types of guys.

"Call me Tessa. I'm not entirely fond of my full name." I replied more of in grumble than in a warning tone. He nodded his head silently and then ushered me in with one hand. I took a seat down in front of his desk and eased myself into the green cushions. I sat with my feet shoulder's length apart and crossed my hands over my stomach, glancing around his office.

He was a family man. There were pictures of his wife and two kids plastered around the room next to awards and diplomas he had earned in his career. He'd coached some sports teams-baseball, basketball, and even the track team somewhere that wasn't here. His kids were much younger than I was. His daughter looked only a few years old and his son looked like he'd just be starting the fifth grade. My stomach twisted into a thousand knots just looking at all the memories this father had made. It reminded me that I would never get to make any more memories. Those had come to a close last weekend.

"You swim?" He suddenly asked and it snapped me back to reality. I had been so out of it, I didn't understand what he meant. I furrowed my brow and frowned slightly, confused as to what he was asking. "Your sweatshirt." He clarified, pointing a finger briefly towards me and I looked down.

"I used to. That was before I moved." I answered, shrugging my shoulder and moving my hands only to read what it said. I had picked my words carefully and I wasn't lying. It had been before I moved and it also had been before my father died. I decided to reject that part for a reason that was most obvious.

"I see. Do you enjoy sports?" He was trying to get to know me-make small talk before he devoured me with the questions that would make me sweat and look at the clock as he drawled out his curiosity. "We have a track team in the spring and there have been some cases where we let ladies join the lacrosse team."

"I did track my freshmen year and my 8th grade year in middle school. It wasn't entirely awful." I responded, shifting in my chair and studying a small piece of string hanging from the end of my chair cushion. I decided I wasn't going to give the short answers and act like I was completely uninterested in the conversation. That bored me even more than it was bore Principal Thomas.

"Lacrosse is the shining star of sports here in Beacon Hills. Most of the boys try out every year but Coach Finstock is very precise on who he wants on his team. It's an honor to make it on the team and play for the Cyclones." He explained, leaning back in his chair and resting his folded hands in his lap.

I weakly put a smile on my lips. "Sounds like Mr. Finstock is a force to be reckoned with." I mused, a small hint of amusement becoming prevalent in my tone. Thomas chuckled, nodding his head and glancing down at his shoes.

"He's also the economics teacher here." Thomas mentioned. "There are complaints almost every week about him. Finstock is a special kind of character." He chuckled, exhaling deeply after he did so. I sucked in a breath, holding it into my chest, and tightening my fingers around my hands. It wasn't hard to realize that the easy part was over. "I understand that things have been very…complicated for you and your sister lately."

"If complicated is the word to describe my life, then sure. It's been _complicated_." I emphasized heavily, stretching out my jaw and making all the veins stand out in my neck like the words were nails on a chalkboard. It was the equivalent.

"I would assume that you haven't heard any words from your mother?" He asked, raising an eyebrow and I barely noticed that his words wavered. He was nervous. He was nervous about asking me questions that revolved solely on my personal life. He was afraid I was a ticking time bomb and would explode if he pushed too far. He was wrong.

I had tried avoiding telling anyone about my dad's death and my mother's disappearance, but Principal Thomas already knew. I was sure he knew the entire story so there was no point in beating around the bush and brushing him off. I would save that for the other teachers and students. I wasn't going to waste it on someone who was already asking pointless questions and digging into a hole that he'd already dug deep enough.

"No. I'm not even sure she has a phone anymore." I answered, shaking my head and chewing on the inside of my cheek. There was a single atom in my body that wished my phone would ring and it would be my mother. She would be calling me, asking me how I was doing, and where I had ended up. She'd ask about Andre and then, she'd do the unthinkable. She'd apologize. She'd apologize for running away when we needed her the most and not even giving a single glance backwards in direction. She'd apologize for not loving her children like a mother should.

"Andre didn't write her name down in any of your forms." Thomas told me, leaning forward and opening up the vanilla folder. It wasn't just papers Andre filled out for school, it was everything. They had all my documents, some I thought were unnecessary but I ignored it, eyeing them weakly before looking back up at him. "If she happened to come back into town, is there a certain way you'd want us to handle things?"

"I wouldn't want you telling her where I was." I began tonelessly, deciding to not make eye contact with the man sitting in front of me. "I wouldn't want her to find me, not until I figured it out first. And, I wouldn't put her on my forms anyways. Andre was legalized as my guardian just last weekend." I explained, shrugging my shoulders carelessly and picking at piece of loose skin on my thumb. It was the truth but for some reason, I didn't like hearing it out loud.

"Andre's response was similar to yours. She didn't say much, mostly that it was up to you since it has seemed to affect you the most." He said, shuffling a few papers and putting them back down into the folder. When he closed the top, it was like the elephant had climbed off my chest and I could breathe regularly again. I hadn't even realized that I had been taking short breaths when he opened the folder.

"I think she just has a better way of handling things. She has more things to preoccupy her, keep her distracted from everything." I suggested, sitting up in my chair and moving my hands off my chest. "I kind of am stuck living in a world where it's stopped spinning and all I can think about is the funeral and the note on the fridge."

"She left you a note?"

I was surprised he didn't know this detail but nodded anyways. "It didn't say "goodbye" or "I love you" like every goodbye note should say. There weren't very many words and some of them weren't even coherent." I blinked softly, recalling the memory. "I read it once and then Andre kept it hidden from because I'd threatened to burn it so many times she was afraid I might do it."

"That's completely understandable. I mean, I wouldn't be too fond of something like that either." Thomas respected, nodding his head curtly and fixing his glasses on his eyes. I watched him carefully and tried to determine just how uncomfortable he was. It was something mean and he wasn't enjoying this at all. It was hilarious honestly. He was terrified, nervous around a sixteen year-old girl. He hadn't even been afraid of Andre.

"I see that you have a family." I quickly changed the topic but lingered only slightly on what we were talking about before. I leaned forward and focused my eyes on a picture of his two kids holding up fishing poles with two long trout hanging from the end. They were grinning wildly with comedic shirts on and muddy tennis shoes. Their were faces were tan and their eyes were covered by different colored sunglasses. I had only gone fishing once and I never really liked it. Andre liked it more than me. Behind the kids, was a tall thin woman. I assumed this was his wife. She was resilient and wore a pair of running shorts, a t-shirt, and also muddy tennis shoes. Her frizzy hair was braided down her shoulders and her eyes were also covered by a pair of aviators. Considering Principal Thomas wasn't in the picture, he was the one taking it.

Thomas turned around to look at the picture and chuckled lowly when he saw it. He sighed deeply and then leaned back in his chair, not taking his gaze away from the framed memory. I hadn't even looked away and I silently wished I was. It was making a large ball swell in the middle of my chest and I felt like I could barely breathe.

"That picture is old-Daniel and Chelsea are much bigger now." He told me, nodding his head and rubbing the scruff on his chin. "Daniel is starting fifth grade and Chelsea is starting second grade this year."

"That's nice." I choked out but I desperately fought to keep tears falling from my eyes. I was still working on the not feeling any emotions thing. Looking at all his pictures and hearing the way he talked about his children, it was like something entirely new. He was slowly opening me up to a world I had never really experienced. My parents didn't entirely disown us but they grew us up to be tough kids, not expect too much, and not show people your weaknesses. Of course my dad would occasionally take us out for ice cream and tell us jokes all the way home or comfort us when Andre or I started to cry. My mother, she had always been the one to keep the light in the house which still made it difficult for me to understand why she had actually left.

Thomas spun back around in his chair, catching me by surprise. I blinked quickly and sniffed, cheering that I hadn't shed a tear. I sunk down deeper in my chair and he didn't seem to notice. I exhaled through my nose and looked away from the picture. "So, I saw in your papers that at your old school you had some…issues with other students in your grade and the upperclassmen?"

Perfect. This was a perfect way to switch the subject over. I was hoping he wouldn't bring it up but obviously, I was an idiot. Of course the principal of my new high school would see that had been in trouble before. "Suspended twice, written up five times, broken up from a fight and ended up in the principal's office three times, and you've actually put a girl in the hospital with a broken arm?"

I rolled my eyes at each statement he claimed. He wasn't looking at me so I had the freedom to be sassy. I knew all of this-I was there. I hadn't forgotten about Samantha Alberts being put in a cast for a month because I'd thrown her down to the ground in seventh grade and thought I was John Cena or something because I yelled out some nonsense and jumped on top of her. I still remember the sickening crack of her bone and the redundant wail that came for her lips every time she breathed. That was where everything basically started-my "rebellious" record. People told me I should own it but I only saw it as a weight on my character, dragging me down and sinking me right to the bottom of the lake of society.

"That's correct." I told him, leaning forward and taking a noticeable glance at the papers. He lifted his eyes up and pursed his lips, his calloused thumbs closing the folder when he caught me looking. I looked back up with a forced smile. "I guess you can say I have a bit of a temper." I breathed out, puffing up my cheeks and sulking back into my chair. I honestly had to admit I didn't like the look he was giving to me.

"I hate to be the mature one here,"-His sarcasm was thick in his voice and I resisted giving him a glare-"but I must have you know that those actions aren't lightly taken here at Beacon Hills High School."

"I'm aware of that, sir. I'm not quite sure any high school tolerates that kind of stuff." I said matter-of-factly, cringing slightly as I finished my sentence. I was worried I would aggravate him but he smiled and moved back from the vanilla folder filled with things that could explain my entire life to a single person.

"I'm glad that we're on the same page. In result of that, I have confidence that events like that won't occur inside the walls of my high school. Correct, Ms. Bradley?" Thomas asked me slowly, taking off his glasses and giving me the most serious look he'd given me all afternoon. I hesitated but then nodded, a graceful smile gracing my lips.

"Of course, Principal Thomas."

"You are free to leave."

I shot up from the chair, a small squeak emitting from the legs as it was forcefully shoved backwards by my momentum. I mumbled a "thank you" and a "goodbye" before shooting out of his office and closing his door behind me. I didn't acknowledge the secretary and was relieved to see Andre waiting by the front doors of the school. She had her head down on her phone and barely noticed me race passed her and out to the parking lot. When the chill post-afternoon hit my heated skin, I sighed and let my eyes flutter shut, leaning against a post they had with a flag limply resting on the metal.

"I can't tell if it went well or as awful as it went for me." Andre called, sliding her gold sunglasses over her eyes and walking to join me. I opened my eyes and turned around, not tearing my body away from the pole.

"It was great until the end when I thought it was a good idea to bring up his family and then he thought that'd be a good time for my remarkable achievements at my last school." I replied, shrugging my shoulder and shaking my head.

"He brought up the Samantha Smack down, didn't he?" Andre asked with a cringe and I glared at her furiously.

"I told you not to call it that." I snapped. "I was twelve. It wasn't like I exactly knew what I was going. Besides, why can't people see that it was kind of badass?" I mumbled, scratching my arms and fixing my sleeves of my hoodie. Andre rolled her eyes and shifted her stance so that she was resting on both feet with her shoulders squared up to the post. I scratched some dirt off the metal and tried to ignore her gaze.

"Tess, I know that this hard for you. It's hard for me too." She murmured, digging her toe into the sidewalk. "Trust me, I've been trying to make it easier for you but there is just so much to do, it's hard to focus on some things."

I finally lifted up my eyes to look at her. Andre was not someone you'd bypass if you saw her on the streets. She was gorgeous. She was twenty years-old and had so much of her life to live. She had long, brown hair that curled slightly at the ends that she usually kept pulled back in a messy ponytail. Her eyes were a magnificent blue and they shimmered inside the sunset when she smiled. Her skin was pale but not sickly. It was the perfect contrast to the rest of her facial features. Her lips were thin and pink, a curve always placed at the corners. There were splashes of freckles brushed across her nose and more of them broke out if she spent time in the sun. I always looked at myself a different way. I had the same brown hair but it was darker and stopped just in the middle of my back. My eyes were a darker shade of blue and didn't sparkle in the sun or when I smiled. They stayed dull and emotionless, just like how I wanted to feel. I didn't have freckles and my skin always stayed a deep tan. Andre gushed at how jealous she was of my skin but I was jealous of her entire being. She was athletic, just like I was. We both enjoyed wearing jeans instead of skirts, sneakers instead of sandals, and t-shirts instead of crop tops. We liked watching sports and going to games around town. We got along, we were almost the same, but I was overly obsessed with her lack of imperfection that she barely even realized was there.

"I know. I just feel like I'm trapped, you know?" I told her honestly, scrunching up my nose and getting up from the pole. I rubbed my forehead and stared down at the cracked concrete beneath my feet. "You have so much more to focus on, right? I have nothing. I can't even watch T.V without stuff reminding me of our parents."

"And school is gonna change that." Andre told me calmly. "You'll have homework and lots of classes. You might even make some friends that can take you out to parties or lacrosse games." Andre explained, stepping closer to me and shaking her head in consideration.

"You know how I am, Andre. I don't make friends like you do." I muttered and Andre swallowed thickly, looking up and around me.

"Well, we're gonna try, okay? We'll go through this together because now I have to make friends too. I have to change my life so you aren't alone and you aren't trapped." Andre explained to me firmly but still carefully. She nodded her head strongly and then dripped her head down to look at me considering she was only a few inches taller. I looked up and imagined meeting her eyes behind the sunglasses. I nodded in response and she quickly pulled me into her embrace.

"Thank you, Andre." I whispered into her shoulder. "Thank you for not leaving me…"

Andre pulled back, her hands still on my shoulders and she flipped a loose hair out of her face and thinned out her lips. "I want you to listen to me. I will, never, ever leave you, not until you're old and wrinkly and barely able to hear. I will stay with you for as long as you need me, no matter what." She told me, her fingers squeezing my skin comfortingly. "We are sisters and that is what sisters do."

"Andre, you know I'd do the same exact thing for you. We've all we've got left, you know? We can't mess it up over some little argument." I replied, messing with the trashed cuffs of the swimming sweatshirt.

"Who cares about anything Principal Thomas said? He doesn't know our lives like we do. Who cares about your "remarkable achievements"? This is a fresh, new start to begin a new place in our life. You can meet new people with new expectations and new knowledge on who you are as a person." Andre explained, taking her hands off of me and throwing them in the air. She adjusted the purse that was slung over her shoulder and as she finished her sentence, a toothy grin broke out onto her face. "You are Tessandra freaking Bradley."

"I'm Tessandra freaking Bradley!" I cheered, throwing my hands up in the air and grinning along with my older sister. She laughed at my reaction, throwing her head back with her hands still in the air. I laughed loudly back at her and dropped my head forward, holding onto my stomach. "We're the freaking Bradley's!"

"Hell yeah!" Andre shouted back and we ran towards each other, locking arms and spinning around, laughter feeling the air. My eyes were beginning to swell from laughing so hard and I was sure I was going to have a six pack by the time we were finished with our moment.

Finally, we slipped our arms away from each other and stumbled backwards, slightly dizzy from spinning so much. We finished laughing and wiped our eyes, shaking our heads and breathing heavily. "Well…that happened." I mumbled, brushing a loose strand of brown hair behind my ear.

"And it happened…right in front of a Beacon County Sherriff." Andre suddenly gasped, her mouth hanging open. My eyes widened and I flung around to face the parking lot, almost falling backwards onto my ass.

There, in fact, was a green and white car parked up into one of the many vacant parking spaces. I was told that not a whole lot of people were coming in today but apparently, I was wrong. There were still a people who needed to get signed up for school and one of them just happened to be the kid of law enforcement. We had just screamed and acted like psychopaths in front of the high school while the sheriff sat in his driver's seat. I could feel embarrassment filling up my brain and making my head pound once. I cringed, slamming my hand against my forehead and I exhaled deeply.

"I would love to say that was worth it but honestly, right now?" I breathed out in a strangled voice. "It was so not worth it." I grumbled, shaking my head and shutting my eyes. I looked down to face the ground and heard a door slam, making me look back up. The officer was getting out of his car and he wasn't alone. There was a boy shuffling out of the car behind him but I ignored it, looking back to the officers. He looked like he was in his late forties. He was dressed in his uniform which meant he had taken a second to get off work to sign his son up for high school. Andre and I stepped off to the side once he hit the sidewalk.

"Ladies," He greeted nodding his head and stopping. I wanted to groan when he stopped and from the look on the younger boy's face, he didn't like this idea much either. I couldn't help but look over the officer's shoulder and look towards the boy. Turned out, he was looking in the same direction. We made eye contact briefly before I looked away.

He had to be my age. He wore a pair of jeans with a pair of black sneakers on his feet. He also wore a red fleece jacket zipped up halfway while a white t-shirt peeked out from beneath it. His hands were shoved in his pockets and his buzz-cut head snapped around the parking lot frantically. He was fidgety and probably had a severe case of ADHD. He was tapping his foot annoyingly on the sidewalk and I bit down on my tongue to avoid yelling at him to stop.

"Sherriff,"-Andre narrowed her eyes to read his name tag-"Stilinski."

"I don't mean to be straight forward, but I wasn't aware we had new comers here in Beacon County." He said with a hearty chuckle that sent goose bumps down my spine. It was the close relatability to my father that made me shiver when there wasn't any wind and a cough come out of mouth when there wasn't anything in my throat.

"We just got in a night ago. I'm Andrea but call me Andre." My sister introduced herself, leaning forward on her toes and holding out her hand. Mr. Stilinski shook her hand with a warm smile. "This is my sister, Tessandra but she likes to be called Tessa."

I held out my hand and shook his hand firmly with the same warm smile he had given to the both of us. I felt like the air was growing heavier and weighing down on my shoulders like metal boxes. My knees were shaking and my breathing was becoming short. My heart thudded in my chest, making me grit my teeth and stab the toes of my sneakers into the ground roughly. I resisted the urge to cry out and curled my toes inside my sneaker, sucking in my bottom lip.

"Tessa, what grade will you be going in this year?" Mr. Stilinski asked and I almost wasn't paying attention to him. My focus snapped in his direction and I blinked a few times before answering.

"I'm gonna be a sophomore." I answered, my voice making its first appearance in the conversation. I was hoping I wouldn't have to talk but I wasn't getting away with anything this afternoon and it was seriously killing me.

"That's great!" Mr. Stilinski exclaimed, a grin flashing from his mouth. "My son, Stiles, here will also be attending as sophomore this year."

He pulled the boy, Stiles, around whose entire face turned a dark red. It caught me by surprise, a small gust of wind hitting me in the face as I stepped out of the way of Stiles. He had his hands still shoved in his pockets and was making no effort to shake either of our hands. I wasn't complaining. I wasn't really a person who enjoyed meeting new people and touching them when we haven't even really met each other. It was awkward and you didn't know when to stop shaking or they hold onto your hand while you try to pull back away.

"Perfect." Andre said, raising her eyebrows and shooting me a hopeful smile. "You won't be completely oblivious." She tried to comfort me and I sent her an unnoticeable death glare. She slowly looked away and back at the two people standing in front of us. There was definitely a similarity, no doubt that they were father and son. Mr. Stilinski seemed oddly proud of his son, like not all of it was real.

"Not to brag, but I am the head sheriff here in Beacon County and I love to meet the new guests coming into town. If you don't mind me asking, what brought you to Beacon Hills?" Mr. Stilinski asked, Stiles shrinking away as soon as the topic wasn't focused on him anymore. I was able to shift and square my shoulders to the older man. He was polite and that made talking him to him easier.

I felt eyes on me and I looked over to see that Andre had settled her's on the side of my head. She had taken her sunglasses off and when I looked into her crystal orbs, I saw that they were filled with an emotion-an emotion I hadn't seen on her. It was fear. She was afraid of answering and she was slowly beginning to panic. My eyes widened when I realized that she was silently asking me for help. She couldn't answer this herself.

"We needed a change of scenery." I blurted out, blinking rapidly and not only catching the attention of Mr. Stilinski, but Stiles whose face had gone down in color back to his pale complexion. His golden eyes squinted slightly towards me and I licked my lips, looking away from him. "We're originally from Nevada. There are more palm trees and beaches here, you know? Andre loves the ocean."

I could almost physically feel her stiffen beside me and I held in a loud burst of laughter. That was a lie. I wasn't even sure if Andre had ever been in the ocean. Everything I was saying was a lie but it wasn't like Mr. Stilinski wasn't going to find out soon. He was the head Sherriff. They had bios on everyone.

"The ocean is a bit far from here."

This was a new voice and it took us all by surprise. Even Mr. Stilinski looked over his shoulder at his son who had now spoken up. I craned my neck to look of the man's shoulder at the boy who rolled his shoulders and stood up straighter. "I would have picked like Los Angeles or San Francisco." Stiles continued. When he looked at his father, his eyes widened and he swallowed thickly. "But here is great. Beacon Hills is a fantastic town." He frantically explained and I knew that Mr. Stilinski did not enjoy his previous words. Unfortunately, I had to cover my mouth with my hand, acting as if I was being normal. The smile I had been trying to hide appeared on my face and no one seemed to notice…except for Stiles. He blushed and surprisingly, narrowed his eyes. This only sparked my amusement even more and I bit down on my lip, looking away.

"Well, I think we'd better get inside. I still have to sign up Stiles's here for his year." Mr. Stilinski told us, pointing towards the boy who'd quickly stopped looking at me. I was finally able to collect myself and dropped my arms to my sides. "I will see you ladies around. I will hopefully see you often, Tessa." Mr. Stilinski nodded his head in my direction and I smiled briefly.

"I will make it a habit, sir." I replied and he chuckled, winking. He then waved a curt hand and then walked off, Stiles shuffling beside him. I watched them go until the disappeared inside the doors and Andre sighed.

"That didn't go as badly as I thought it would." She thought aloud, nodding her head and hiking up her purse on her shoulder. She turned to me, shoving her sunglasses back onto her face. "I see that your social skills haven't improved."

"He barely even talked to me, okay? Don't make me feel bad." I grumbled, rolling my eyes and crossing my arms over my chest and turning away from her.

"His son seemed the exact same way so don't feel singled out." She teased, shaking her head at me as she began to walk towards her Range Rover in the parking lot. I shook my head as well, following behind her quickly.

We climbed inside the cool car, the sun beginning to fade away behind the mountains in the distance. The temperature was dropping and it was somewhat surprising. I figured living in California would be hotter than Nevada but I was wrong. I'd checked the weather for tomorrow and it would be nearly below freezing. Andre decided to stop out for dinner and that fell out into the later hours of night considering she also wanted to take a drive around town. She tapped into her GPS so we wouldn't get lost and ended up on a road that led all the way back into town passed the forest and away from civilization. Just to make everything better, it started to rain.

"We should have just gone home earlier." I exhaled in the passenger seat, knocking my head against the window and staring out the fogged glass. "We're gonna be stranded out here."

"We are not going to be stranded. I know exactly where we're going." Andre argued a small amount of annoyance in her tone. I shifted in my seat and ran my fingers of the pristine leather of the Range Rover. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Andre flip out her phone and the little voice was telling her where to go. Suddenly, the voice made a clicking noise and her phone went dark. "What the hell?"

"Did you forget to charge your phone?" I asked, turning my head and sitting up to lean over the median and look to her phone.

"It never gave me any warnings." She replied, knocking it against the dash. Obviously, we weren't paying attention to the road. We hadn't realized that there was another vehicle in front of us and I looked up just in time to see it swerve,

"Andre!" I shrieked, my seatbelt unclicking itself as I leaned over and grabbed hold of the wheel, pinning her to her seat. I spun the wheel to the right, jerking us out of the way of the other car and Andre helped me pull it back to straight. I flipped my head over my shoulder, infuriated at the car behind us and didn't just see a car, but saw a person in a red hoodie standing in the middle of the road. "No way…" I breathed out and slumped in my seat. That was Stiles?

* * *

 **AN: I know that this didn't start out like my usual stories. I decided to give a bit of an introduction chapter into Tessa's life. I also wanted to have some more time to spend on how she feels and how she is dealing with everything. And, just a heads up, I understand during the story she is all over the place with how she feels and how she handles things and it's meant to be that way. Also, I wasn't planning in Mr. Stilinski, or John as I have learned his name is, or Stiles into this chapter but I think it worked out well.**

 **Please leave reviews because they make me happier than when Jeff Davis makes a Stydia scene :)**

 **P.S: I know Tessandra is a real name but I don't really care :)**


	2. Chapter 2

I was deprived of my peace-granting, fatigue-eliminating sleep. Tossing and turning in my cold sheets while constantly checking the clock was the syllabus of my first night in Beacon Hills. I wasn't nervous or anxious to go to school the next morning. My brain just simply wouldn't stop thinking. It was constantly bring up tragedies that had occurred and that could occur in the future. Honestly, it had nothing to do with starting in a new school with hundreds of kids I didn't know other than Stiles and I wasn't even exactly friends with him. He was quiet, jittery, and somewhat on edge around other people, including his father. I was surprised he'd made through high school already.

Andre had talked to me about school and my behaviors. She stressed that if I decided to get suspended, worse things were going to happen than at the last school. This time, they wouldn't call my parents-they'd take me away from Andre. Considering how young she is, they'd think she wasn't taking proper care of me. I wasn't going to lose Andre and I would put every single ounce of effort I consisted of to not punch a kid in the face or body slam onto a girl in the middle of the soccer field. I doubted I'd get into any fights here. It was a small town and kids in small towns didn't mess with outsiders. Unless they had grown up together in diapers, you were basically an alien.

One thing that kept entering my thoughts was the drive back into town last night. I tried to believe that it was some other kid that owned a red hoodie but the only person I had met with a red jacket, was Stiles. It made me shake my head as to why he had been standing in the middle of the road, almost creating a two-car collision. I was debating whether or not to confront him in the morning or to just let it go. I didn't really want to go up and talk to a shy kid I had only met briefly yesterday. Besides, we were already butting heads with each other. I was frustrated with myself at this point. I don't make enemies with people that could probably live just down the street from me and have their father working with law enforcement. Mr. Stilinski hadn't seemed to notice at all.

When my alarm finally went off, I slammed my hand down on top of the old hand-me-down alarm clock Andre had given me. I rolled out of bed, nearly collapsing onto my wooden floor and stood up. I hadn't unpacked any boxes since we'd gotten into the new house and I wasn't planning on doing it any time soon. I had only taken a few things out to make my bed-white sheets with a large black comforter, a single picture of me with Andre, and my laptop. The laptop and the picture were currently set on the floor beside my nightstand but other than those two items, my room was bare. The walls were painted almost a brown color and there was a large window over my bed. I had shut the blinds when I'd first come into my bedroom and hadn't opened them since. There were a few beams of morning sunshine peeking through some of the cracks and reflecting into the rest of the room.

I made my way out into the hallway of the house and turned the small corner into the hallway closet. I pulled out a pair of dust smelling towels and then made my way to the bathroom. I turned on the shower and brushed through my hair, taking out all the tangles I had made from my restless night. I then stripped myself of clothing and stepped underneath the hot water of the shower. I quickly cleaned my hair and body before hopping out of the shower and avoiding the cold tile floor. I flicked water all over the walls and fogged mirror and then sprinted into my bedroom, a towel wrapped around my dripping body. I slid into my bedroom and then slammed the door shut, glad that my room was warmer than the rest of the house.

Fixing the towel around my body, I lifted up the suitcase up from under my bed and clicked it open, lifting the top off to see all the clothes I had brought with me. I picked out a long sleeve that stopped at the elbows. It was white with navy blue sleeves and the fabric was soft enough to not irritate me throughout the day. I decided on a pair of dark jeans, washed at the knees. I lifted up another bag filled with my shoes. I pulled out a pair of Nike sneakers that had white bottoms, a black toe, and the upper part of the shoe was a black, stormy forest scenery with the white Nike sign across the side. I quickly got dressed and then dried my hair. I threw it up into a ponytail and braided the pony tail, throwing on a headband to keep my bangs out of my face. I applied on a very small amount of makeup-mascara, Chap Stick, and a thin line of foundation across my forehead. I checked myself in the mirror before grabbing my backpack and a fleece gray jacket. There had already been a body mirror on the back of the door and I was especially proud of my outfit choice.

I hurried down the stairs to the kitchen and was surprised to see that Andre wasn't here before me. Even when she started her freshmen year of college, she was downstairs and ready to leave before I even had my hair up. I decided to start the coffee machine and grabbed the corn flakes from the cabinet. I made myself a bowl of cereal and sat down at the kitchen table, silently eating my breakfast. I was still tired and I caught myself almost dozing off into my cereal a few times. When I was finished, I sulked over to the sink and rinsed out my bowl. As soon as I clicked off the faucet, footsteps sounded from the steps and I poked my head out from the kitchen to see Andre heading down the stairs.

Her looks represented my mood and I knew then that I wasn't the only one to have a sleepless evening. Her hair was thrown up into a messy ponytail once again and she wore an over sized sweatshirt and sweatpants. She had on a pair of old sneakers and her glasses covered over her blue eyes as she yawned.

"And welcome Princess Andre, the fairest of them all." I greeted with a sarcastic smile, throwing my arms out towards her. She lifted up her head and gave me a truthful glare, making me back off and scurry back into the kitchen.

"I heard you get up to get water." Andre told me as she came into the kitchen, and fetched herself a cup of coffee. "I assume that you feel as great as I look."

"Your assumption is accurate." I breathed out, sitting back down in my former spot and tucking the sleeves of my jacket closer to the edge of my wrist. "I think I got at least three hours in. That's why I don't look like I belong on the set of a zombie horror movie."

Andre snorted, turning around after she'd poured herself coffee. She leaned up against the counter and took a slow sip, steam fogging up her glasses. "Are you saying that I could be a zombie?" She cocked up an eyebrow and smirked over the rim of her red cup, making me shrug my shoulders.

"I don't know. Considering the way you look, I'd say you'd be the lead role, the zombie queen, the one who lives until the very end of the movie." I told her, a small hint of amusement peaking in my voice. I scrunched up my nose and gave her a devilish grin. She narrowed her eyes at me and then took another sip of coffee. "I'm kidding. You don't look like a zombie."

"I wouldn't be surprised if I did." Andre agreed, sounding weak and slow. "It's way too quiet here for me. I even tried leaving my T.V on and that wasn't enough." She sighed, setting her cup down on the counter behind her and then rubbing her eyes exasperatedly. "I just got lucky that my classes don't start until tomorrow. I have time to get settled in and set up the house today after I run you to school."

"I wish I had your luck on not having to start school yet." I grumbled, dropping my head in my hands and digging my finger nails lightly into my forehead.

"Tessa, I promise you it is not going to be that bad." Andre whined, obviously exhausted with the fact that I kept refusing to enjoy the thought of school. She walked over and rested her hand on my back. "I mean, you already kind of know at least one person in your grade."

"You mean the spastic child that barely even made eye-contact with me yesterday?" I asked her with mock enthusiasm, looking up at her and raising my eyebrows. "Or what about the kid standing in the middle of the road?"

"Neither." Andre growled, glaring at me. "I mean Stiles Stilinski and I doubt whoever was in the road goes to school with you."

"Whatever." I snapped and shot up from my chair, grabbing my bag and slinging it over my shoulder. "I'll go start the car."

I snatched Andre's keys off the kitchen counter and made my way out the front door after Andre mentioned she needed to use the restroom before we left. I made my way down the front porch when I heard a few noises from in front of me. I looked up across the street, and saw a boy struggling to get his bike out of his garage. His back was turned to me but he had to be at least my age. He had on a black hoodie and sticking out of the top of his backpack, was a lacrosse stick. I briefly remember Principal Thomas reminding me that almost every male in high school tried out for the lacrosse team. I held the keys in my hand and watched him, unable to pull my curious eyes away from the boy. Finally, his bike released from a pile of boxes and he stumbled backwards, rolling out of his garage. He clicked on his helmet and then turned his bike around. I shot behind the Range Rover, hoping he hadn't seen me and then heard his gears click as he rode away.

"You could have said hello like a normal person." Andre snickered from behind me and I spun around, my butt slightly bumping the car. She had a grin plastered on her face and she had wiped the steam off of her glasses. I rolled my eyes in annoyance and then tossed her the keys. Andre caught them in one hand and then gestured for me to get in her car. I did as I was told and shuffled into the passenger seat, throwing my backpack in the back seat as I did so.

Andre plugged in her phone and clicked on a song, humming and tapping her fingers to the tune. I fished my cellphone out of my back pocket and checked the screen. I had changed all my wallpapers to a normal black color and wasn't surprised to see that I didn't have any texts or missed calls from anyone back home. I was convinced that they were all relieved that I was finally gone. I wasn't causing fights or making teachers stay extra hours after school because I had one again got detention. The subject clawed at me, begging to let it bother me, but I refused to let it do so.

"Have you thought about getting a job?" I asked, honestly curious to know if she had even considered that as a possibility.

"I actually applied for a job at a restaurant down the street. It was one of the only places that had offers." Andre replied, silencing her humming and seizing the movements of her fingers. She glanced over at me briefly before returning her eyes back to the road. "What about you? I would assume you'd want something occupy your time?"

"I don't know." I exhaled deeply, shaking my head and stretching out my arms in front of me. "Like you said, it's hard to find a job, and I still really need to focus on school this year. I can't slack and then decide to lash out like I did last year."

Andre was quiet for a few moments and breathed out calmly once we reached one of the only stoplights in town. "Look, Tess that was last year. I think your sophomore year will be entirely different for you. It'll be better, more exciting."

I opened my mouth to answer when a low rumble sounded from beside us. I looked to my left and studied that a powder blue Jeep had pulled up next to Andre's black Range Rover. I scanned my eyes over the hunk of metal and then nearly choked when I saw who was in the driver seat. If Andre saw that Stiles was driving the car, she'd do something I would be humiliated by for the rest of my life. My eyes widened and I snapped my head to look at the light. It was still red and there was a slow, elderly woman walking across the crosswalk directly in front of us. I was hoping he hadn't seen me but when I looked over, he was looking down and he had the same terrified look I did. He was frantically looking between the old lady and our car and I knew that he wanted out of here as much as I did. Unfortunately, we were going to the same place.

I was almost convinced that Andre wasn't going to notice but Stiles twirled around in his seat to grab something and slammed his elbow into the car horn. There was a squealing shriek and Andre quickly threw her head to look to the side. I slammed a palm against my face and dropped my chin to my chest. "Is that…?"

"Oh it sure is." I seethed out through my teeth and Andre was quiet for a few moments before I heard her chuckle and shake her head. I expected her to roll down my window or make me look like an idiot, but instead, before the light was even green, she hit the gas and peeled away from the light. The old woman had already passed from the front of our car and we left her and Stiles in the dust. I turned flicked my eyes to look through the rear view mirror and saw Stiles's jaw dropped as the Range Rover roared away from him. I smiled to myself proudly and then slumped back into my seat.

I wasn't surprised to the see the school parking lot filled with teenagers older and younger than me. There were sports cars, motorcycles, skateboards, and bikes scattering the pavement. Beacon Hills was a rich small town. Families inherited thousands from dead ancestors and owned business. Others were lawyers or surgeons around town. I should have expected this. It was close to being no different to Nevada. Rich people lived in places like there. Beacon Hills just happened to be one of the richer locations even though it was smaller than any other towns I'd ever lived in. It wasn't those destinations that were starred on maps, though. It was hidden and you were fortunate to find it and live here, create a life. I wasn't sure how fortunate new comers were.

Andre pulled around all the way to the front of the school and idled the car, looking out her window at all of the other kids. "Wow. I didn't realize that we moved to Hollywood."

"I still don't even remember why we moved here but this is no comparison to Hollywood." I grumbled, shaking my head and clicking off my seatbelt. I reached into the backseat and grabbed my backpack setting it into my lap. "You'll pick me up after school, right?"

"I'll try to get all my errands ran and then come get you. At worst, you might have to wait here for an extra five minutes." Andre explained to me and I nodded in understanding. "I hope you have a good day."

"Me too." I sighed and then opened the door, stepping out onto the sidewalk where I had been yesterday. I shut my door behind me and the Range Rover got into the line of parents who were trying to get out of the school parking lot. I watched it disappear and then looked back up at the school, my chest growing heavier the longer I stood.

I was knocked out of my sulk when a shoulder slammed into mine, making me stumble forward a few steps. I flicked my head up and was not surprised to see two girl's saunter passed me. I pressed a tongue to the inside of my cheek and narrowed my eyes as the sauntered away, strawberry blonde, and blonde curls bouncing animatedly as they made their way inside the school. I made a small noise of disgust and then slipped my arms into both straps of my backpack. I continued on my trek up to the school and then entered, weaving through students and teachers trying to get prepped for their first classes of the day. I had gotten my schedule yesterday and struggled to find my locker, the first bell ringing for classes. I shoved all my books into my locker that I didn't need for the first class and then hurried off.

I entered the room with my head down, hoping I had gotten to the right place. I ran my eyes over the schedule and when I looked up; I didn't see the teacher or a classroom. I saw a pair of golden brown eyes, terrified, surprised, and confused looking directly into my equally terrified and frustrated blue eyes. Immediately, I curled my hand into a fist, unhelpfully crumbling my schedule that lied in my hand. I sucked in a deep breath and then adjusted my backpack violently on my shoulders. Stiles was sitting all the way by the windows, occupying a seat in the very back row. He wore a black leather jacket with a gray jacket underneath, a knock-off Captain America shield sticking out from beneath the layers of jackets. Diagonally down from him, was the boy that lived across the street from me. He oddly had the facial features of a puppy-shaggy brown hair that almost covered his eyes, warm brown eyes, and an uneven jawline.

Thankfully, neither of them spoke to me, and I took a seat down beside the puppy dog boy. I ignored him as he looked over at me after Stiles violently nodded his head and tried to casually jut a thumb in my direction. I pulled out a notebook and a pencil, acting as if I were more interested in school than punching Stiles in the face. I zipped up my jacket, the morning chill coming off of everyone in the room as more kids piled inside. Finally, the teacher entered the room and spun around, beginning to write on the whiteboard. I already didn't like him but forgot it, leaning forward on my elbows.

He began to speak, his voice monotone and sounding about as annoyed as I felt. "As you all know, there indeed was a body found in the woods last night." The teacher, Mr. Hobson-or as his nametag said on his desk read-began, not turning around to look at us. If I was more interested in school, I wouldn't have noticed that puppy dog boy looked over his shoulder at Stiles whose leg was bouncing uncontrollably and he winked at puppy dog boy, obviously pleased with something. Then, he stifled a laugh, making puppy dog boy smile. I rolled my eyes and returned my attention back to the teacher. "And I'm sure your eager little minds are coming up with various micob scenarios as to what happened. But I am here to tell you,"-Mr. Hobson finished writing down the words on his whiteboard. I furrowed my brow when I read Rafaka's Metamorphoses-"that the police have a suspect in custody which means you can give your undivided attention to the syllabus which is on your desk, outlining the semester."

I lifted up my notebook to in fact find the paper and lifted it up, scanning my eyes over the words. As soon as Mr. Hobson had said that a culprit had been caught for the body, puppy dog boy looked at Stiles who seemed to be confused and had no idea what someone had been caught. I once again ignored the action and focused on schoolwork. I was proud of myself. I had so far not gotten into any fights or lost my temper. The only that was bugging me was that there had been a body. Someone had been killed in the woods and neither Andre nor I had any idea that it had happened. My memory returned back to when we swerved out of the way of another car and someone standing in the middle of the road. I wondered if the person out in the middle of the road had been the one to commit the crime and if it was, that meant it wasn't Stiles.

Everyone put their heads down and read through their paper, silence filling the room as their attention was placed elsewhere, including mine. After a few minutes, it was interrupted by the door of our classroom being opened. I pulled my head up to see that a man dressed in a suit had in fact opened the door. Behind him, a girl slowly walked inside, her hands folded in front of her legs and her eyes hiding from the look of the all of the other people in our room. She was tall and extremely pretty. Her hair was long, brown, wavy, and even a bit shiny. She wore a light brown jacket over a fleece gray t-shirt and an ocean blue scarf hung around her neck. There was a messenger bag knocking against her side slightly as she walked.

"Class, this is our new student, Allison Argent." The man introduced, the girl, Allison, giving a shy smile to the class. "Please do your best to make her feel welcome."

The man left her and Allison walked around the edge of the classroom to take the empty seat right behind puppy dog boy. Everyone looked away from her and I barely heard a few words exchanged between them. Soon after, the bell rang and the entire class shot up from their seats, rushing to get out of the room. I hung back, waiting for everyone to leave and then took my time entering the crowded hallway. The day went surprisingly the way I had planned it to. Of course I had a few classes with Allison, puppy dog boy, snobby shoulder bumping popular girl and her asshat of a boyfriend, and Stiles. I didn't speak to any of them and ate lunch at the end of a random table. It wasn't until the end of the day when I was putting my things away, that someone, other than Stiles, paid some sort of attention to me and it was very much unwanted.

"I would apologize first but I must say, those shoes are pretty unique."

I shoved my chemistry book into my locker and then looked over my shoulder, an unfamiliar, high pitched voice reaching my ears. It happened to be the girl that had knocked shoulders with me unknowingly this morning. I was confused at first, glancing to each of my sides to see if she was speaking to anyone else, but the other kids had already left to their cars or to lacrosse try-outs which I had heard about non-stop the entire day from any guy that I was around.

"Thank you?" I managed to say, raising up my eyebrows and silently asking if that was supposed to be a compliment. The girl's mouth quirked up into a small smile, her lip gloss practically blinding me.

"Oh, you're welcome." She said, flipping a strand of red hair over her shoulder like it was no big deal. I researched the girl for a second, taking in her appearance. This was defienently the sterling silver of Beacon Hills High School. She wore a dark blue shirt that was tugged up slightly at her wrists. Her legs were covered by a short plaid skirt and pair of shoes that I assumed was more expensive than my entire outfit. I wasn't particularly fond of the outfit choice but I wasn't one to judge. I dressed like a teenage boy that belonged in a lacrosse uniform right now. She held out a perfectly manicured hand. "I'm Lydia Martin. You must be the _other_ new girl."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. I was starting to doubt this girl's social skills. Nonetheless, I shook her hand quickly. "I'm Tessa." I wouldn't be the one to state my whole name like she just had. I hated my name anyways.

"You're not much of a talker, are you?" Lydia asked slowly, retracting her hand and pulling her arms up to her chest. She narrowed her eyes slightly; as if she were silently evaluating and I uncomfortably shifted my stance, scanning the almost empty hallways. Just a few lockers down, puppy dog boy and Stiles were staring down Allison Argent who was putting things away inside her locker. There was another girl standing beside Stiles and I looked back at Lydia.

"Not really." I responded, hoping that answering would make Lydia stop staring at me like I was some kind of alienate. This was what I had wanted to avoid all day. Kids in small towns always stripped the new kids of every layer and evaluated each piece, sticking their noses where it didn't belong. They asked questions-tried to get to know you. That was the last thing I wanted.

"That's perfect. I love character development." Lydia mused, lacing her hands together and putting them underneath her chin. She was still smiling and it was starting to make me angry. "Usually, I don't take the new kids under my wing. They, most of the time, eat lunch in the bathrooms and try too hard to fit in. You're different."

"How so?" I challenged, crossing my arms across my chest and cocking up an eyebrow. It turned out; I had just answered her question. From the smirk that formed on her face as she placed her hands on her hips, this is what she meant by different. Apparently, no one dared challenge the almighty Lydia Martin but I just had. "Oh, I see." I then mumbled sheepishly, dropping my head and bobbing my eyebrows.

"I like you, you know that?" Lydia told me, pointing her finger at me and then nodding her head as if she were concluding this in her mind. I once against resisted the urge to roll my eyes and sighed calmly, looking away from her. "But you don't like me very much, do you?"

I looked at Lydia out of the corner of my eye and I didn't expect her to look influenced. Instead, she received this as her challenge. In her eyes, there was determination and fire that I only saw in a handful of people. Her goal would be to make me like her and I hoped she wasn't dead set. I wasn't really in the mood to like people.

"I'm confused, actually." I told her, shrugging my shoulder and turning back around to organize the clutter I called a locker. "Why are you talking to me when you have a million other people who would pay to have you look at them?"

"I told you. You're different. Those plastics I call my friends are all the same." Lydia sighed; almost sound uninterested in the topic. I smiled to myself, moving aside some books and then placing them back in carefully.

"But they seemed to think you're something special." I replied back, double checking to see if I was satisfied with my locker and then I shut it, turning around. "I honestly didn't see a difference between you and them."

Lydia paused for a moment, her eyes looking up to the ceiling as she thought about what I said. Then, her eyes narrowed into thin slits. "I see that your way of making friends is entirely different than mine."

"I think you're getting confused here, Ms. Martin. I'm not trying to make friends." I replied back, scrunching up my nose and shaking my head. She ran her tongue of her teeth, hot air steaming out from her nose and I snorted, grinning proudly.

"I'm not giving up on you." She told me sternly. "The "Get the New Girl to Not Be a Total Bitch" project begins now." Her smirk made my nostrils flare and my temper spike up monumentally.

"I hope you don't expect to see progress in a week. I'm a _person_ , not a diet plan." I grumbled, realizing that there was virtually no way to get this girl to leave me alone. Most people would have run at this point but, unless her shoes were superglued to the floor, she was throwing down everything and putting more effort into being my friend more than anyone I had ever met.

Lydia grabbed my hand and jerked me in a direction away from the front doors. I pulled my phone out of my pocket with my free hand and shot Andre a text that I might be a little late instead of her. Lydia had a plan and was pursing it as I breathed.

I hadn't realized we'd made our way down to Allison's locker. Lydia stopped right in front of her. "That jacket is absolutely killer." She said to Allison, letting go of my hand and shaking her head slowly. "Where'd you get it?" Lydia asked, cocking her head and staring down the new girl like she was a vulture.

I looked around, checking to see if puppy dog boy and Stiles were still around and in fact they were. Puppy dog boy was looking at us along with Stiles. I huffed an unnoticeable breath and turned back around to the group of girls.

"My mom was a buyer for a boutique back in San Francisco." Allison replied; obviously have a different reaction to Lydia's compliment on her clothes than me. This defienently pleased the red-head and she smiled.

"And you are my new best friend." Lydia smirked, pointing towards Allison and making the brunette smile. I rolled my eyes, looking down the hallway in the other direction the boys weren't standing in. I was desperate to leave but I knew Lydia would sink her claws into me if I tried to go. Before Allison could say anything, someone swooped in behind Lydia. They wrapped their arms around her waist with a noise and then turned Lydia to face them. I recognized the guy as Lydia's asshat boyfriend. "Hey, Jackson." Lydia greeted happily. There were suddenly lip-locked and Allison and I were immediately uncomfortable.

"Oh that's polite." I muttered to myself but it was loud enough to for Allison to hear. She tried to cover up her giggle of laughter with her hand and she bit down on her lip, looking at me. I struggled to force the smile not to come onto my face, but the corners of my mouth quirked up and I looked away until the couple was finished. "Glad to see that the both of you still have your lips attached to your face."

"And who are you?" Jackson sneered, narrowing his eyes and giving me one of the dirtiest looks I'd ever gotten and that said a lot. Quickly, I decided he would be the one I would punch. He would be worthy enough for me to get sent to the office.

"Her name is Tessa and she is my friend-in-progress." Lydia answered smugly, placing her hand on Jackson's chest and giving me a short glance. "Tessa, this is my boyfriend Jackson."

"You're the other new girl, huh?" Jackson asked me and I nodded, hiking my backpack up farther on my shoulders. I had decided that I also didn't like him as much as apparently Lydia did. He was obviously the popular boy in the school if he was dating Lydia Martin and from what I had seen all day, everyone else fought for his attention which he never proceeded to give them. From some of the looks the girls were giving me as they hurried passed me, getting his attention was more than a prize-it was an achievement, a goal someone set in life. Every girl wanted to date him and every guy wanted to be him. Every guy wanted to date Lydia and every girl wanted to be her. I wasn't invested in either person.

I once again looked over my shoulder at Stiles whose eyes widened and then, by my moral surprise, picked up his hand and frantically beckoned me over with all of his fingers. I felt like a little kid who was in trouble and looked over back at Lydia. I said I'd be right back and then she threatened me that if I didn't come back, she'd figure out where I lived and burn all of my shoes. I gave her a two finger salute and then rushed over to Stiles, the girl beside him leaving as I approached.

"What the hell is your problem?" I hissed underneath my breath, making sure to stay quiet out of earshot of puppy dog boy who was still standing at his locker, staring at Jackson, Lydia, and Allison. I _seriously_ needed to learn his name soon.

"How did you do that?" Stiles hissed back at me just as crossly. I furrowed my brow, frowning deeply at him and shaking my head.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." I replied honestly, my angry demeanor fading as it slowly turned into confusion.

"How did you get Lydia freaking Martin to just come and talk to you?" Stiles restated, gesturing towards the redhead talking to Allison. I looked over my shoulder. "Did you pay her?"

"No I did not pay her." I snapped back incredulously, turning my head to look at him and roll my eyes. "She complimented my shoes, said she'd been paying attention to me all day."

"I can't believe you're not having a heart attack or something." Stiles groaned, dropping his head into his hands and rubbing his eyes with his palms.

"I'm wondering why you would." I muttered, glowering and leaning back away from him on the heel of my sneakers.

"Lydia Martin doesn't pay attention to anyone outside her click. Anyone lucky enough to get her attention is deemed blessed." Stiles explained, lifting up his head and speaking so quickly, I could barely understand him.

I snorted, crossing my arms over my chest. "I am so not blessed right now. She actually calls me her "friend-in-progress"."

"Why does she call you that?" Stiles asked, cocking up an eyebrow and making a face like I'd just told him a horrible joke.

"Because I'm a bitch." I replied casually, shrugging my shoulder and sticking out my lips. Stiles rolled his eyes and then leaned up against the lockers. "And because I won't be her friend."

"You _what_!?" Stiles squeaked, shooting up from the lockers and flailing his arms around. I took a step back to avoid getting smacked in the face and held up my hands in mock defense. "How could you not want to be friends with Lydia?"

"We're complete opposites. I can barely stand her clothes." I replied back innocently, keeping my hands up and making sure to keep my distance.

"Oh my God. You are seriously insane. Maybe we need to check you into Eichen House." Stiles muttered, rubbing his chin and shaking his head.

"Okay, no, I am not insane." I argued, glaring at him angrily and letting out a frustrated sigh. "I'm not like everyone else at this school in case you haven't noticed, Stiles. I don't want to fit in with the popular crowd for a reason."

"And that reason is?"

"Hasn't anyone ever told you to mind your own business?"

"Multiple times." Stiles answered calmly, nodding his head and pressing his tongue to his cheek. He looked around me for a few seconds before letting out a small growl of obstruction. "Look, you are basically walking on the same Earth as Lydia. Don't take it for granted. You'd be surprised."

I paused, blinking a few times. I studied the dazed look in Stiles's eyes as he looked at Lydia. "Be surprised by what?"

Stiles opened his mouth to answer but puppy dog boy called his name to head off to lacrosse try-outs. "I gotta go." Stiles breathed out before walking around me and leaving.

I turned as Stiles slid passed me and then watched as they dispersed around the corner. Jackson wasn't too far behind them and I looked in the direction of Lydia. She had grabbed Allison's hand and motioned for me to follow. I did as I was told and then hurried to catch up with Lydia as she marched towards the field. She had grabbed her jacket before I'd looked at her and I was surprised by the size.

As soon as we exited the doors, I shivered. It was much colder here in the fall than it was in Nevada and I wasn't sure how much justice my sweater was going to do. Lydia had come prepared, as did Allison. I simply placed my hands on my biceps, rubbing the chilled skin and followed the girls towards the metal bleachers. I examined the field full of players who all talked in groups and shot lazily into the goal. The coach obviously hadn't arrived yet and I was able to spot Stiles, puppy-dog boy, and Jackson. I wasn't surprised to see them all on the field considering I'd seen them wandering around all day with lacrosse sticks in their backpacks.

We got onto the top bleacher which wasn't very far up. Allison took the seat on the side of Lydia and I sat down beside Allison. I once again shot Andre another text to let her know that I'd be staying after school. It mostly worked out in her favor. She had still had lots of errands to do and was still at the grocery store trying to figure out what food to buy for the house. She said she'd pick me up after the try-outs and that's when the whistle was blown to begin the tryouts. I learned that this was Coach Finstock. I had him for economics and he wasn't one of my favorite teachers.

I watched as puppy dog boy got into the goal and didn't fail to notice that Allison was watching him intently. They had eyes on each other all day and you had to be stupid if you thought they weren't already interested in each other. I thought it was crazy and probably just a fling. They'd just met. You couldn't fall in love with someone you'd just met. It probably happened somewhere but not in high school. I had defienently learned that the hard way during my freshmen year. It wasn't something I enjoyed discussing now with anyone, not even Andre.

"Who is that?" Allison asked Lydia, leaning over towards her as Allison kept her gaze fixed on the boy who had just stepped inside the goal.

"Him?" Lydia inquired, cocking her head to the side. "I'm not sure who he is. Why?" She countered, turning her head to slightly look at Allison.

"He's in my English class." Allison answered as if it was no big deal.

One of the ref's blew their whistle and I watched as the boy inside the goal slammed his hands over his helmet. He shook his head, his entire body seeming to spasm as the sound of the whistle continued to fill the air. I furrowed my brow, watching in confusion as he looked like someone had just screamed in his face. Before he could react, someone ran forward with a ball inside the net of their lacrosse stick. My eyes widened and I put my hands over my mouth.

"Oh good Lord," I muttered, cringing before the ball even hit him. It slammed right into the kid's face, knocking him backwards, and to the ground. I let my eyes fluttered shut, practically feeling the embarrassment and pain come off the puppy. I heard the team laughing and opened my eyes to slits. Even the Coach was laughing and, to once again my surprise, I glared at the back of his head. I breathed out exasperatedly and then sat back up. I chewed on the inside of my cheek, debating frantically inside my head before I made a courageous decision. I cupped my hands around my mouth and sat up straighter in my seat. "Let's go, puppy dog boy!"

* * *

 **AN: And that is a wrap of our very first episode chapter! I hoped you guys enjoyed this one because I know I really had a fun time writing out the interactions with Lydia and Stiles! This is a Stiles/OC story and it is obviously a slow burn. Their relationship will begin as a slow burn friendship. I never have written a story where they hate each other and then become friends and then like each other. Also, I have her butting heads with Lydia which will make the story more difficult to write. I also love, love, love the relationship with Andre. Andre is one of my favorite characters to have in the story so you will see lots of her throughout episodes.**

 **As always, I love reviews and love reading what you guys have to say! I'm always up to making changes to the story or using ideas you guys might have! Love you all so so so much!**


	3. Chapter 3

You know those plans where you think it's a really good idea but then when you actually do it, you realize that it was a terrible idea? I had a habit of redundantly doing that and the second after my voice stopped echoing off the field, I realized that maybe cheering for the kid who'd just gotten smacked in the face with the lacrosse ball wasn't the greatest idea I could have come up with.

I swallowed, my eyes widening as everyone, including Allison and Lydia, looked up towards me with both confused and annoyed expressions. I was glad I wasn't standing up and pressed my lips tightly together, shrinking down to lean against the back of the bleachers. Puppy dog boy climbed to his feet in the goal, shaking his head and then prepared his stance inside the net. He rolled his shoulders, cracking his neck side to side before crouching down and waiting for next player to run towards him. As soon as the player launched his shot, I waited for the moment where it would either fly passed puppy dog boy or slam into his body once again. Instead, the world decided to surprise me and the ball landed flawlessly into puppy dog boys net. He stared down at it, as if it just burned a whole through his net and I chewed on the inside of my cheek. Maybe things would turn out that cheering the kid on was probably a better idea than I had anticipated.

He smiled underneath his mask and then whipped his head towards the rest of the lacrosse team. I followed his gaze and watched in pure amusement as the team all leaned to the side to look at him with stunned expressions. I could hear a small voice coming from the benches at the bottom of the field and looked down to see that Stiles was cheering for his friend, sitting up straighter in his seat. Another team member ran forward, ready to make a shot but was faced with the same exact conclusion as the last. Puppy dog boy crouched down and caught the ball before it even touched the ground. Stiles's cheers rang out once again and I slowly sat up, scooting forward toward the edge of my seat. I had a feeling that this was about to get a lot better.

It indeed did. Ball after ball was thrown and shot after shot was blocked by the boy standing in the middle of the goal. I resulted to clapping and keeping my own cheers silent as everyone else started to focus more on the drill. Stiles was having more than good time himself on the benches and I couldn't help but roll my eyes and smile at the back of his head. Just from spending one day at the school, I had figured that Stiles and the puppy dog were best friends. I was hoping to learn his name soon but opted to just continue using the, quite frankly, witty nickname I had given him. It collaborated with his facial features and made sense enough to me inside my head. Still, I'd like to say a shorter name, if he had one. It was mentally exhausting.

"He seems like he's pretty good." Allison had said to Lydia, a sort of dazed expression deliberating on her face as she watched the boy catch the ball effortlessly every time someone shot.

"Yeah, very good." Lydia replied, nodding her head and sagging her shoulders as she spoke. Her voice also sounded far off and I was wondering if I was the only one still sitting on the bleachers and not floating in the middle of the lacrosse field.

"Was he this good last year?" I asked, leaning forward and resting my elbows on my knees. I looked down at Lydia who silently shook her head, not daring to take her eyes off puppy dog boy. I nodded in recognition and then leaned back, returning my own attention back to the lacrosse team.

Another player was waiting for his ball to be thrown so he could go next, but his turn was cut short. Someone's lacrosse stick slammed into his chest, making him bump into a few of the boys behind him and I furrowed my brow. I sat up in my seat, frowning as I looked to see who had just cut in front of the entire line of waiting lacrosse players. I narrowed my eyes, struggling to see whose face was behind the mask and when I caught sight of a pair of brightly colored eyes and furious expression, I knew exactly who it was. Jackson was the only one not shocked or enthused by the puppy dog's new found talent. He was practically fuming, glaring down the boy and gripping his lacrosse stick so tight, I thought it might crack under the pressure.

Jackson caught his ball with ease and then sprinted forward, curving widely around the field as he neared the goal. I didn't let my eyes leave the team captain and held my breath as he leapt in the air. He raised his stick and then, with a focused expression, thrusted the small white ball forward. I waited for the ball to slam into the front of puppy dogs mask again but to my complete and utter joy, puppy dog blocked the shot from entering the goal post.

I grinned excitedly, clapping my hands together and jumping up to my feet. This time, I decided not to keep my cheers silent and cheered right along with the rest of the kids standing around us. Although there were many of us shouting, there was no one as loud as Stiles who was constantly telling everyone that puppy dog was his friend. I shook my head, not having the energy to be annoyed with him. Lydia stood up beside me, cheering and clapping her hands. I hurried down the bleachers, my feet unwillingly pulling me down the metal steps and towards the boy who was screaming crazily on the seats. Even some of the lacrosse players were clapping but Coach Finstock remained stunned, his mouth hanging open as he blinked his eyes curiously.

"Hey, Stilinski," I called in my normal voice, making the boy whip around in a way that I thought he might pop all the bones in his back. One of his gloves fell from his hands and he didn't pick it up, instead staring at me like I was on fire.

"Uh, hey, Tessa." Stiles said, lowering his voice and stepping closer to me so that he wouldn't have to shout over the loud noise of the crowd. "What-what are you doing?"

"What's his name?" I asked, nodding my head towards the boy who was smiling dopily underneath his lacrosse mask. Stiles looked over his shoulder and then back at me, smiling briefly and then scratching his head.

"That's Scott. He's my best friend." Stiles told me sheepishly, shrugging his shoulder as I rolled my eyes and sighed.

"I kind of figured that when you were yelling it repeatedly to everyone sitting in the bleachers." I reminded him and his cheeks heated up, dropping his head to look down at the ground. "I figured I should learn his name so I could stop calling him puppy dog."

"Why are you calling him that exactly?" Stiles asked me curiously, grimacing slightly as he recalled the memory of me yelling that nickname out in dead silence. "I mean, it doesn't really make sense."

"In my mind it does so I don't have to explain myself." I told him with a venomous smile. "He did a really good job out there. It was impressive." I noted, flickering my eyes over to Scott. I barely noticed that his head turned in our direction and it was almost as if he were involved in our conversation from the other side of the field.

"I know. I never knew he could do that." Stiles breathed out, also looking over his shoulder at his friend. I could hear it in his voice. Stiles was proud and completely in awe. It almost made me warm-seeing the kind of emotion Stiles held for Scott.

"Well, according to the rest of the school, neither did we." I replied, bobbing my eyebrows and crossing my arms over my chest. "Why aren't you out there?"

"Oh, me?" Stiles asked, pressing his finger to his plated chest. He chuckled breathlessly and emotionlessly. "I don't play."

I paused for a moment, quickly scanning his attire. "That's hard to believe considering you are dressed in uniform."

Stiles frowned at me, sub-consciously wrapping his arms around his torso and covering the maroon jersey. "Has anyone ever told you to mind your own business?"

"Multiple times." I retorted back easily, smiling devilishly. "Let me take a wild guess as to why you're sitting on the bench and their running the drill." I told him, pointing towards the lined group of players. "You've been designated the water boy."

"You're hilarious, honestly. I think I might have abs after this." Stiles drawled tonelessly, glaring at me and then walking over back closer to the benches. He picked up his glove from the ground and I rolled my eyes. "Do I look like the water boy to you?" Stiles asked seriously, raising his brow and then lifting up his jersey to show me that had lacrosse pads beneath him.

"Well I have seen that movie with Adam Sandler in it a couple of times…"

"I swear if you even decide to compare to Bobbie Bouche, I will literally have to pretend like you don't exist in my world." Stiles snapped, holding up his hand and I pressed my tongue to the inside of my cheek. "Although I already know you'd love that, it's the first threat that came to my mind."

"Look, I get it. I was benched my entire first year of swimming." I told him and he furrowed his brow, crossing his arms.

"How do you get benched in swimming?" Stiles asked in a confused tone and I looked away from him, tapping my foot.

"You have to be pretty bad." I grumbled but then blinked, waving my hands around. "That's not the point. I mean, that I know what it's like to be benched."

Stiles was quiet for a few moments and then I watched in confusion as a small smile played at the corner of his lips. He nodded and then narrowed his eyes. "If I'm mistaken, I would say you're being nice to me."

"What?" I asked, busting out a breathless laugh. I flickered my eyes frantically and then shook my head. "No. I am absentmindedly making a connection."

"But you haven't called me an idiot or glared at me while saying any part of that sentence. Besides, your voice got all quiet and you looked at me funny." Stiles pointed out and I scowled at him, amusing him greatly as he snickered.

"I think you've mistaken disinterest in the conversation as common table manners." I shot back, rolling my eyes.

"Oh, I'm not just saying table manners." Stiles snorted, shaking his head and smiling like an idiot at me. This made me grind my teeth together and stick my bottom jaw off to the side as I sucked in an irritated breath.

"You're an idiot." I spat, a small growl at the end of my voice. Stiles narrowed his eyes and then ran his tongue over his teeth, nodding to himself.

"You don't mean that."

"Yes I do. I mean it all the way to very bottom of my black, soulless, heart."

"Wow, that's almost convincing." Stiles exclaimed, widening his eyes and making his smile larger. I bit down on my tongue to keep from screaming. "But it's okay to be nice to people. It makes these really neat things called friends."

"I don't want those neat friends, Stiles. In case you haven't noticed." I pointed out and Stiles rolled his eyes, sitting down on the bench.

"You mean the thing where you are refusing to be friends with the most popular girl in the school because you don't like her clothes?" Stiles asked me with a slight streak of irritation coming across his tone. "Yeah, I've noticed."

"Whatever. I'm going back to the bleachers." I growled and then stormed off, throwing my arms down to my sides. "Have fun on the bench, Stilinski." I shouted over my shoulder and flipping him off as I went.

I stomped up the bleachers, collapsing next to Allison and Lydia who exchanged a look but elected not to ask me what had happened with Stiles down on the field. Fortunately, the try-outs ended shortly afterwards. Andre texted me to let me know she was already in the parking lot. Lydia strutted off to go talk with Jackson and Allison followed me back down the bleachers and towards the parking lot. She walked beside me, staying quiet until we were farther from the field.

"I don't think we ever officially met." Allison pointed out, her voice low and slightly tense as she spoke to me. I stopped my walking and turned my head to look at her. She kept her chin pressed to her chest and I was almost offended that she was scared to look me in the eye. I figured she was just trying to make friendly conversation but from the looks of it, she was just talking to fill the void of silence.

"I doubted Lydia would introduce me." I exhaled exasperatedly, hooking my thumbs underneath my backpack straps and glancing around. "Too bad I already know your name."

"How?" Allison asked, lifting her head up finally and looking at me with a bewildered expression. I held back a snort at her reaction.

I shrugged my shoulder and twisted up my face casually. "I'm also in your English class." I replied, hinting back to what she had said about Scott earlier.

"Of course you are." Allison responded, nodding her head slowly and chewing on her bottom lip. "But I wouldn't know that." She pressed a pale palm her forehead, cringing deeply and making me actually giggle.

"It's fine. I don't typically make myself noticeable. Besides, I secluded myself from the rest of civilization all day." I answered, scratching the back of my neck and wondering how that had not sounded creepy inside my head. Luckily, when I looked back up at Allison, she thought it was funny.

"Then how did you end up with Lydia?" Allison asked, beginning to walk towards the parking lot and I followed her, snorting softly.

"That seems to be the question today, huh?" I breathed out, looking down at my sneakers as I walked through the almost green grass. I thought for a moment and then I shrugged. "She, uh, came up to me for some reason. She complimented my shoes like she complimented your jacket."

Allison wrinkled her nose and then frowned. "That's odd." She murmured and then paused, thinking over something. "Do you think she's planning something?"

"If you mean the cliché popular girl ritual?" I asked her, looking at her through the corner of my eye as she glanced at me warily. "Then no."

"How do you know that?" Allison wondered, shaking her head and shutting her eyes for a second. She was obviously more troubled about this and I wasn't sure I had any information that would settle her nerves.

"I don't. But everyone likes her. In the movies where the popular girl is a bitch, no one likes her and people tell you to stay away from her." I explained casually, basically recalling the movie "Mean Girls" and trying to make some advice out of it. "I haven't heard anyone tell me to stay away from Lydia Martin and everyone likes her."

"Huh…" Allison mumbled, nodding to herself. "That makes sense."

"So, I wouldn't be worried." I replied shaking my head and giving her a slightly comforting smile. I enjoyed Allison more than Lydia or Jackson. She was more laid back and calm. She wasn't full of herself and dressed in a way where I would complement her jacket too. I just wasn't a fan of Lydia's clothing choices and wished to burn her closet.

"She, um, mentioned something about you being a "friend in progress"? I'm sort of curious to know what that means." Allison told me honestly and she grimaced as I opened my mouth to reply. She was clearly still scared of me and I ignored it this time.

I then closed my mouth because I decided not to answer the way I wanted to.

 _"I don't want to be her friend. I don't want to have friends."_

Even though it was the truth, I couldn't tell Allison that. I'd have officially scared her off and she was the only person I didn't want to call an idiot at this school. I had tendency to do that though. I pushed away the people I knew cared about me the most but I had a reason behind that all. I was a trouble-maker, a rebellious outcast. My parents had given birth to my older sister who was the hardest act to follow. I was bound to explode, crack like plaster underneath all the pressure sitting on top of me like an elephant. As soon as I erupted, I spewed lava and damaged families and towns full of people. I disintegrated the ecosystems and animal habitats surrounding me. It happened once and that was why I ended up where I am today. It started the whole rebellious act of mine. I exploded and launched all my friends and family away. I became frustrated, irritable, and angry with myself. My only way out was the violence.

"She's working to get me on her side. I'm sort of bad at making friends." I lied easily, going over all of the factors inside of my head that my first statement could have provided for me. "I basically stared at her blankly when she complimented my shoes instead of saying thank you."

Allison giggled, dropping her head and looking down at her shoes. "I probably would have done the same thing if my brain hadn't caught up with my mouth."

"She's intimidating." Lydia was nowhere near intimidating. She was bossy and once she had a set goal, she'd pursue it no matter what stood in her way. I doubt she even noticed this and thought it was all normal for people to be that way.

"I think every popular seems that way at first." Allison mentioned, shrugging her shoulders back and forth as if she were contemplating with herself. "But I'm sure she'll become more laid back and friendly."

"Oh, sweetie, she's been nothing but friendly to you. Lydia and I clash horns like we're both the devil." I told her, scoffing and looking towards the tall brunette. Allison snickered once more, being one of the only people to enjoy my sarcasm and my jokes. It was making me like her more.

"She does seem really nice to me. And Jackson too." Allison told me and I nearly choked on my own spit. Allison heard my breathing stutter and looked at me. "What?"

"Jackson was nice to you?" I asked, holding in laughter and giving a look of disbelief at the girl who nodded slowly. "Damn, people must really like you."

"I've heard he isn't very nice." Allison breathed out, chewing on her bottom lip once again and looking away from me.

Allison and I hit the parking lot and I spotted the Range Rover parked behind a larger, more menacing car. It was a wine colored Tahoe and it idled directly in front of the miniature black sports car. Allison waved goodbye and I waved back, hurrying to my sister's car and sliding in it. I repeated the same action I had this morning, throwing my backpack into the backseat. Andre gave me a glare when my large backpack knocked around the leather seats. Nevertheless, she switched the car into drive and drove around the Tahoe, Allison hidden behind the tinted windows. I didn't fail to see through the driver window and see her father. He had his head turned in our direction, his bright blue eyes staring me down as we drove away. I swallowed and then shrunk down in my seat, turning my head to look at Andre.

She looked better than she had this morning. She had pulled herself together, made her hair nicer and thrown on some makeup. She wore a pair of black joggers, white sneakers, and an oversized sweat shirt that read "BAYLOR" on the front. She had one hand on the wheel and the other hand supported her head with a fist.

She cleared her throat once she'd realized I was looking at her. "Did you have a good day at school?"

"Yeah, I guess." I replied, nodding my head and fiddling with the strings on my jacket. Andre glanced at me, turning her head on her fist before looking back at the road.

"Did you make any friends?" She asked and I almost replied with a quick "no" but stopped myself. I would have considered Allison my almost friend at this moment but I had promised myself I wouldn't make friends like this. I was emotionally corrupt.

"I made _acquaintances_." I answered, annunciating on the term greatly. I wanted to make it clear that I had not made friends but I knew people now. I hoped that would be enough for Andre to think I was making some sort of progress.

"That's…good." Andre noted, nodding her head slowly. "I think."

I was fully aware that she had meant to murmur the last part to herself but it came out a bit louder. She seemed to not notice that I had heard her but I brushed it off. I wanted to feel guilty for putting Andre in this position. It had to be anything but comfortable. And I was also fully aware of that as well.

"If you're wondering why I even went to the try-outs," I began trying to change the subject and clear the air of awkwardness that had fallen over us. "I was dragged there against my freewill by a designer Pitbull."

"Come again?" Andre practically squeaked, raising up her eyebrow and sitting up in her seat. She put both hands on the wheel and then looked over at me. "Did you say _Pitbull_?"

"Yep." I answered; popping the "p" and making Andre widen her eyes. "Relax, it's just an expression."

"Oh my, God. You are going to give me a heart attack." Andre breathed out, shutting her eyes for only a second and then looking back at the road. "I thought you meant a dog, okay? Shit like that happens."

"Ouch, watch the language there dear sister." I sneered, grinning devilishly and making her growl slightly, and roll her eyes. "Lydia Martin threatened to burn all my shoes if I didn't go with her."

"I'm surprised you didn't hit her." Andre grumbled half-heartedly. I resisted the urge to laugh and then make a sarcastic comment.

"I actually don't mind watching lacrosse. Besides, this kid dominated the team captain and it was great." I explained to Andre and laughed to herself, remembering Jackson's face when he'd seen Lydia cheering for Scott.

"Mr. Thomas was telling me that lacrosse is a very popular sport here. When there are games, everyone goes." Andre explained, nodding her head and then relaxing in her seat. "I think you'd have a good time if you went to the scrimmage Friday."

I had overheard Lydia talking to Allison while we were sitting on the bleachers during the try-outs. I hadn't thought much of it, but Lydia was throwing a party at her house after the scrimmage. I was planning on not going and I would use the excuse of simply I wasn't invited. She had said that everyone was going which meant it was an open invitation but I didn't see any real reason to go. As if the universe was just trying to make my day better, my phone buzzed in the pocket of my jacket. I pulled it out and saw that I had been texted by an unknown number. Of course, somehow Lydia had gotten my phone number and informally notified me of the party. I was once again threatened into going and finally decided to reply back to Andre.

"Speaking of Friday, there's supposed to be a party at a girl's house after the scrimmage. She invited me to go." I told her and Andre's face lifted.

"That's great!" Andre replied and it made me happier to see that this time, she was actually meaning her comment. "If you're asking to go, you can go. I don't see a problem with you socializing with kids your own age."

"Have you met anyone out here, huh? I don't see you texting any friends or telling me you're going to a party." I challenged my sister, crossing my arms over my chest and giving her an intense look.

"Hey, I have worked my ass off all day trying to get the house together and get set up for classes at the college." Andre defended, laughing humorlessly and pointing a finger towards me as she drove with the other hand. "Don't think I'm trying to be a sad, emotionless robot."

"Like me?" I asked, cocking up an eyebrow. She cast me a look that was meant to be a glare but it was a clear answer. "Don't be like me."

"I don't want to." Andre breathed out and placed her other hand back on the wheel. She turned into our neighborhood and I climbed out. I reached into the backseat to grab my bag and shot a small glance towards Scott's house. He obviously wasn't home yet and I carried on, going inside my own home.

From Tuesday to Friday, the week went smoothly. Lydia didn't pester me too much and I chatted with Allison in between classes and during classes. At lunch, Lydia practically glued me to sit with her at her table filled with lacrosse players. Allison and I would seclude ourselves at the end of the table, feeling uncomfortable while Lydia and Jackson chatted happily with everyone else. The only person I didn't want to shove into a trashcan that happened to be Jackson's best friend was Danny. It wasn't hard to conclude that he was gay but he was one of the coolest people I'd met around her. He didn't lack humor or sarcasm like some people in this school so it made it easy to be on his good side. I didn't really talk to Stiles or Scott. I was mostly avoiding Stiles after I'd gotten furious with him on Monday at the try-outs. Allison had told me that after the try-outs, she had been driving home coming back from the drug store and she'd hit a dog. When she went to the vet, Scott was there working late. He helped fix the dog and then invited her to go to Lydia's party. She had accepted and then wondered what she was going to wear. She had told Lydia who had simply gave her a pat on the back while I took the different approach. I listened to her stress over what she was going to do Friday night and I tried to tell her to relax and just let the night go on how it was intended to.

Too soon enough, the day of the scrimmage came along. Lydia was more than excited, practically leaving me in her glittery dust as she rushed out to get good seats on the bleachers. Apparently, this scrimmage was a big deal and half of the school was filling the stands outside. Lydia snatched a spot on one of the bottom bleachers on the other side near the player's benches. I easily spotted Scott, Stiles, Danny, and Jackson all on the field. Stiles was benched but was still as pumped as the rest of the team for the scrimmage. I didn't have a doubt that Coach Finstock would put Scott on the field and I was correct when I saw Scott in the huddle with everyone. Once they broke out, I took my seat beside Lydia and Allison, anxious to see the scrimmage begin.

The team in the maroon colored jersey's tossed the ball around to each other, running and dodging other players. As they moved swiftly, it came harder to determine which player was which. I decided to not worry about it too much and hope to God that the really good one was Scott. I was worried I might not be able to find him but as soon as a certain player got the ball, I knew it was him. I figured I'd be able to distinguish him by his ability to play lacrosse but this time, it was because as soon he got the ball, his form was slammed to the ground by the player in a black jersey from the apposing team.

"Wow, I am completely appalled by Jackson's sense of sportsmanship, Lydia." I thought aloud, flicking my head to look at her with a sour expression. Lydia pursed her lips and huffed, crossing her legs and sitting up defiantly.

"He's simply playing the game of lacrosse, sweetheart." Lydia shot back calmly and focused her eyes on her boyfriend who had lifted up his helmet and was smirking down at Scott. Right, Lydia. That was how you played lacrosse.

Jackson ran off to go stand by his teammates as Scott clambered to his feet. I could see through the small holes in Scott's mask, he was about as happy as I was about the action that had just taken place. He ran off in the same direction Jackson had but they both circled to the middle of the field. The ball was thrown in between them and they both crouched down, slamming their sticks on the field. They looked up at each other and I ran a hand through my loose hair, sighing nervously. I sucked in my bottom lip and then leaned forward, watching closely before the ref blew the whistle. The whistle went off and before Jackson could even move, Scott had the ball and was tearing down the field.

Scott passed by one player who tried to tackle him, expertly lifting his stick up in the air and not letting go of the ball. Another player stood defensively in front of him and Scott spun, also dodging this player's attack. Jackson was behind Scott, sprinting wildly to catch up with the boy on the opposing team. Scott jumped in the air and dodged another player. He dodged one more and I was already sitting up in my seat, once again shocked by the talent Scott was made of. I looked to see what was in front of him this time and my grin fell short. There were three, tall, lacrosse players lined up directly in front of the goal. They had their defensive stance and I thought for sure this was the end of Scott's great streak. I was proved wrong when Scott bounced off his toes and flipped smoothly over the three lacrosse players. When his feet landed on the ground, he tossed the ball forward. It flew right in between the goalie's legs and into the net, scoring a point for his team inside the scrimmage. Everyone began to cheer and Scott threw his arms up, a smile poking out from underneath his mask. His teammates came to his side, patting him on the back. Allison and I stood up, clapping for the boy.

"McCall, get over here!" Coach suddenly called from the sideline and once again, my happiness fell short at the sound of Coach's pissed off tone. I took a small step forward, curious as to what Finstock was going to say to Scott. Everyone else fell silent once they'd heard the man's voice call the star player over to the benches. "What in God's name was that? This is a lacrosse field. What are you trying out for the gymnastics team?" Finstock asked wildly, throwing his hands in the air after Scott had gotten to him, removing his helmet and staring at his coach with a blank expression.

"No, coach." Scott replied softly, shaking his head as he flipped his shaggy hair out of his face.

"What the hell was that?" Coach demanded afterwards, pointing his finger towards the ground.

"I-I don't know." Scott stuttered back, still holding the blank expression over his face. He was apparently as confused as I was. "I was just trying to make the shot." Scott answered, pointing his lacrosse stick towards the goal.

"Yeah, well you made the shot." Coach bit back and I blinked incredulously. Was Finstock really pissed at Scott for playing an exceptional game of lacrosse? "And guess what?" Finstock paused for a threatening moment. "You're startin' buddy." Coach clapped a hand onto Scott's shoulder whose expression still did not change. Everyone around us began to cheer, happy that the kid had made first line. "You made first line."

Finally, Scott began to smile his crooked smile. He bounced on his toes, looking at the cheering crowd and I could help but once again smile myself. He defienently was a puppy dog and I was starting to rethink his nickname now. Shortly after the announcement of Scott making first line, the scrimmage ended. Andre drove me home after Lydia had reminded me about her party. She also reminded me about my precious shoes and I gave her thumbs up. I went home and finished up some homework before I hurried upstairs to get ready. I decided to change my clothes from the lazy outfit I had thrown on running late this morning. I chose a white long sleeve shirt, gray joggers, a dark red flannel to wrap around my waist, and a pair of Adidas high-tops. I let my hair hang in the loose curls I had also put in this morning and then touched up some makeup. Lydia had insisted that I look good or as, quote on quote, "a decent human being". She once again threatened to burn all of my sweatpants as well.

Andre offered to give me a ride to the mansion Lydia called home and then reminded me to also text her when the party was over so she could pick me up. Andre didn't even bother to give me the talk about drinking. I did it my freshmen year and over the summer and was responsible enough. I never got caught, drove, or been busted by the police under the influence so she let it slide for my first party of the school year. I almost felt guilty about already having thoughts of grabbing a drink when I got here but bravely decided to have a couple drinks but not get wasted. I planned to never get like that…ever.

As soon as I stepped through the threshold of the Martin residence, I practically regretted ever letting Lydia's vicious threats get to me. Everyone and I mean everyone, had showed up to this party. There wasn't a single spot in the foyer, kitchen, or living room that wasn't crowded with kids I could only guess were from our school. There were a couple other schools around the area but none that would show up to a party like this. Sure the lacrosse players were here, I had located a handful of them outside by the pool, but it wasn't worth driving all the way across town. I could identify some of the more popular girls that hung out with Lydia mingling with those lacrosse players but I didn't see Lydia herself. I didn't see Jackson with the players so I figured the most logical explanation as to why they were both missing from their clichés. I also frowned when I didn't spot Allison or Scott anywhere around me.

I made a beeline for the kitchen, legitimately hungry from not having eaten since lunch. The kitchen was still crowded but not as crowded as the rest of the house. It was quieter but the music still managed to weave its way through the halls and rattled the pots and pans lying beside the kitchen sink. There were a few people making out in the corners and there was one girl up on the counter, laughing and spilling a red liquid over the top of her party cup. I dodged the splashes quickly and then stole the bowl of tortilla chips from behind her. I spun out of the way of other people coming inside the kitchen and then found an empty space on the counter. I crossed my legs up onto the granite counter top and placed the bowl in between my legs, munching lazily inside the bowl. Luckily, I had managed to place myself beside the spot where Lydia had already premade drinks and lined them all up in a square. I grabbed one, smelling it, and recognizing it as cheap beer. I was about to set it back down when I took a small drink. Even though the taste was vomit inducing, it easily settled the nerves inside my stomach. The smooth liquid carried down my throat and I leaned my head up against the counter, letting my eyes flutter shut and sighing out tiredly.

"I'm actually not surprised that I found you in here." A familiar voice said from in front of her. She opened one eye and searched through her mind to recall just exactly who that voice belonged to. When she figured it out, she frowned up towards the ceiling and then slowly dropped her head. Stiles was mossing around the kitchen, stealing chips from random bowls and grabbing one of the cups himself.

"What are you doing here? Isn't there some sort of nerdy marathon you should be watching with the rest of your geek squad?" I sneered angrily, the alcohol that fueled the sarcasm I always had burning inside me.

"That is a very stereotypical way of thinking." Stiles told her, pointing a finger at her as he took a slow sip of the beer. "And by my geek squad, I hope you mean Scott-only Scott."

"Oh, wow, I thought you might actually have more friends than that." I mumbled, bobbing my eyebrows and taking a long sip of my own drink.

"Okay, seriously, what have I even done to you?" Stiles asked me, his voice becoming louder as kids began to file out of the kitchen. He leaned up against the counter across from me and gave me a stern look.

"I don't know what you mean." I replied back, swirling the yellow liquid inside my cup and staring down at it. I looked up afterwards.

"You have been honestly nothing but rude to me." Stiles refrained and I paused, narrowing my eyes slightly and pressing my tongue to the side of my cheek. "I've tried being nice even though I am terrified of you but I've tried."

"Aw, that's adorable, you're scared of me." I cooed, holding my cup to my chest lovingly and Stiles glared at me angrily.

"That is exactly what I mean." He grumbled, shaking his head. "You can't even be serious for one minute."

"I don't have to be." I shot back honestly and it almost seemed to stun him. He blinked a few times and then took another drink of beer. "Look, I am sarcastic and bitter because it's literally how I've been my entire life."

"That's a lie. I've seen how you are with Allison." Stiles argued, shaking his head and setting his cup on the counter behind him. "Why aren't you like that with everyone?"

"Because I actually enjoy Allison's moral being." I told him honestly, shrugging my shoulder and popping a chip into my mouth with a loud crunch. "I hate everyone else, in case you didn't realize."

"I have, trust me." Stiles seethed through his teeth and picked at a loose piece of skin on his thumb. "I just don't understand why you hate everyone else."

I thought over his word, swallowing the last pieces of chip and then looking down into the bowl. "Okay, I don't hate everyone else." I said in a voice that was almost mocking. "I just can't stand some people, you know? You guys talk so loud and think so much and laugh so much."

 _You indulge in the happiness you don't deserve._ I bit down roughly on my tongue, drawing blood to keep from talking any longer. That would not help the situation I was trapped in now. I swallowed thickly, crushing a chip in between my thumb and forefinger as I waited for Stiles to respond. When he was dead silent, I looked up and found out the reason why he was quiet. He wasn't even there anymore.

* * *

 **AN: Ouch! That can't feel pretty. But how about the interactions between Stiles and Tessa this chapter? I mentioned this before. Mostly every conversation they get into will be arguing and the insulting one another. Those are pretty fun to write but I do know they get annoying but things will change in the future! I also loved loved the conversation between Allison and Tessa. I usually have my OC become friends with Lydia first but I think Allison isn't too intense for Tessa so it's easier to adapt. I'm also aware that the way I had Tessa figure out about the party was really weird and misplaced but I realized that Ms. Lydia had never actually invited her.**

 **Please leave reviews! I love them so very much and they motivate me to update more!**


	4. Chapter 4

"You look like a happy camper." I chirped as soon as I climbed out of the Range Rover. Allison had been sitting on the curb when I pulled up and then got to her feet once the car stopped and I got out. She had a frown etched onto her face and it looked like it hadn't just come upon her. I assumed she'd had it all weekend.

Allison seemed to by-pass my sarcasm and crossed her arms, turning with me as we walked up towards the school casually. "I am anything but happy." She told me, sighing deeply and flipping her bangs out of her face. "I'm actually angry."

"Angry?" I repeated, cocking up an eyebrow and also looking forward at the two story high school we now both attended for the school year. I was still letting it sink in that this was my school and that it wasn't temporary. Andre went on and on about how much she loved the town and how good this town was going to be for us. "Pray tell."

"Okay, but you have to at least act like you care." Allison ordered and I furrowed my brow, side-glancing her. She obviously caught the action and smiled weakly. "All the while I've been talking about Scott; you just stare off into the distance and nod your head like you're not even on the same planet."

I flinched, knowing I'd been busted for pretending to listen. "Right…" I murmured and my cheeks flushed brightly as I turned my eyes to the ground.

"I haven't talked to Scott since Friday." She said, chewing on the inside of her cheek and glancing around as she said his name. She was looking for him, but he wasn't there. "I'm angry with him."

"Okay…" I told her, informing her that I was in fact listening. "Why?"

Allison paused for a moment. "We were dancing at the party and then we were about to kiss and then he just pulled away, looking like I'd shocked him or something. Next thing I know, he runs out the door with Stiles and they drive away in the Jeep."

"Wait, Scott left with Stiles?" I asked softly, snapping my head and halting my walk. I turned and stood in front of Allison, just stopping in front of the steps to go inside the school.

Allison gave me a puzzled look before nodding slowly. "Yeah, he did. Why?"

I was going to answer quickly but then pressed my lips together, shrugging and then shaking my head. "Just curious. I'll see you in English." I murmured abruptly before spinning on my heels and rushing up the stairs to get away from Allison.

I shoved through the doors and weaved through the crowd, already have memorized a certain pathway to get to my locker. I glanced around, hoping not to run into Stiles, Scott, or Allison again. I was also praying that Lydia wouldn't try to set me up and say I hadn't attended to her party. We hadn't talked to each other on Friday night and that was mostly because her mouth was attached to Jackson's and speech was probably not going to be intelligible or applicable. I was glad to have only run into one person because I was trying to avoid the other's more. Others meant _Stiles_. I was completely and angrily displacing Stiles out of my life as of the residing moment. I tried to believe that maybe during our conversation in Lydia's kitchen, he had ran out to help Scott. But I wasn't even sure exactly what happened beforehand. I was just pissed that I'd shared such a delicate topic with someone who didn't have the interest or the time to listen.

I passed through the day with only a minor scold from Lydia during the lunch period. I ended up sitting with Allison then but she didn't ask me about the Stiles and Scott conversation we had before school started. She seemed to get the idea that I didn't want to talk about it and opted to ask me about Scott. She explained that she'd been thinking about it for a long time and wondered if she should give Scott another chance. I hadn't failed to notice that during classes the three of us had together, Scott would gaze longingly at Allison. It was creepy but I felt pity for the boy. Whatever happened at the party, he felt bad and every time he almost talked to her, something happened and he was unable to do so. Mostly it was Stiles dragging him off randomly to talk about something secretly. I also hadn't failed to notice that Stiles had been watching me during English. I was perfectly capable of ignoring Stiles and not feeling bad about it like Allison. I had been doing it almost an entire week before this. I was just continuing my streak.

Just to top off my day, Lydia dragged me off to the first lacrosse practice of the season. She informed me sternly that she would not miss such an important day and that I would get to enjoy this important day with her. I mock cheered and then drawled about how this was most important to me and she threatened to sell all of my shoes on EBay. I made a note to never do that again and then finished gathering all of my things before going off to take our seats on the cold bleachers of the lacrosse field. As soon as I stepped onto the field, I felt a pair of eyes on me and glanced over to see that Stiles was watching me. He was trying to make it look casual but I could tell he was looking directly at me. I expertly brushed it off and dropped my head, following the heels of Lydia's Jimmy Choo's as she strutted gracefully to the metal seats. She plopped down on the second row and rested her purse in her lap, fixing her makeup as she waited.

There was a whistle blown, signaling the beginning of practice. Lydia snapped her compact mirror shut and tossed it into her bag, flipping her curls around. She tried to act the most interested in lacrosse but the only reason she came was for Jackson. I doubted that if Jackson wasn't team captain, she wouldn't be dating him and she wouldn't be sitting right here and neither would I. Of course I didn't want to wish bad luck upon their relationship but I did anyways, silently cursing to myself. Speaking of Jackson, he was the second person standing in the goal, holding a long stick like Finstock had instructed.

Jackson expertly took down every player that came towards him, digging his padded shoulder into their chest and taking them down to the ground. Greenburg was the only one who was to run a lap and I wasn't surprised. Apparently, Finstock had a strong distaste for Greenburg, it was almost inspiring. It fazed no one which meant that this wasn't a new topic of Finstock's. Scott was up next and Coach had to actually call his name to have him go. There was something on Scott's mind but it confused me. There shouldn't have been. Scott had apologized to Allison and she had decided to give him a second chance. He should be excited and giddy like a normal sixteen year old boy but from what I'd heard and seen lately, that wasn't the case.

Scott jogged forward and I frowned, not used to seeing the slow pace from him. I twitched in my seat, fidgeting with the end of my ponytail. I wasn't surprised when Scott reached Jackson and Jackson knocked Scott to the ground. Aside from the fact that I was confused, I was angry. I got competitive when I liked a sport. I usually liked a certain player in the sport and loved watching Scott take down players. I hated watching Jackson dominate the boy who'd just made first line and played like a badass just last Friday.

"McCall, my grandmother can move faster than that." Finstock joked, his loud voice carrying around to the entire field. Scott stepped off to the side, bent over at the waist and not looking at his coach. "And she's dead." Coach finished and I rolled my eyes, balling my hands up into small angry fists. "You think you can move faster than the lifeless corpse of my _dead_ grandmother?"

"Yes, coach." I heard Scott bite out, almost in a low growl. I popped my jaw and then looked away, trying not to make this moment about me as coach decided to describe the dead. I was still having trouble being around death and tried not to focus on it often. I thought back to lacrosse and then looked back at the field.

"Then do it again." Coach ordered in his ear and McCall stood up. He ran over back towards the team and I walked in worry. "McCall's gonna do it again!" Finstock informed the team, Jackson stepping back up to his former place. Scott was angry this time and I knew exactly how things were going to go. He was going to unleash hell.

Coach blew his whistle and Scott ran forward, his average speed coming back into play. I could feel Lydia shift beside me and I knew she was as worried as I was. As soon as Scott reached Jackson, he shoved his shoulder right in Jackson's chest and the rich boy went flying backwards. His back hit the ground and I heard something quite unusual that made me hop to my feet. I had heard the sound of bones popping and when Scott moved passed Jackson, I saw the blonde haired boy holding his shoulder.

"Shit," I breathed out nervously, Lydia getting to her feet beside me. I hurried out to the field, forgetting my backpack sitting on the bleachers behind me. I lifted up my head and saw Scott drop to his knees holding his head. Stiles rushed forward, wrapping his arms around his best friend and quickly, they sprinted off towards the locker room. I watched them go with confusion and then was deemed the beginning of the crowd that then gathered around Jackson, Lydia standing right beside me.

"Jackson?" Lydia squeaked shuffling forward as close as she could get before Finstock flew out a hand, stopping her from coming any farther.

"Whoa, whoa, hey, take a big step back there, sweetheart." Finstock bitterly snapped, glaring up at Lydia before returning his attention back to his player.

"Hey, that sweetheart is his girlfriend, alright?" I shot back, narrowing my eyes and making Finstock stop moving for a few seconds. He slowly looked up at me, fire burning inside his eyes but I held my ground, glaring at him fiercely.

"I can't even remember that the hell your name is." Finstock began, using the same venom in his voice as he had with Lydia. "But I need you and your friend off my field, _now_!"

"We need to get him to a hospital, _now_!" I shouted back with the same ferocity as the coach had just spat at me.

"I don't need your consent. It's not even that bad, right Jackson?" Finstock asked, looking down and clapping a hand down on the shoulder Jackson was currently not clutching with his face contorted in pain.

Jackson groaned in response, shaking his head and Finstock looked back up at me as I raised my eye brows. "Yeah, it sounds like it isn't that bad coming from the team captain, right Finstock?"

I waited his response as he glared up at me silently. "Who even are you?"

"The girl whose gonna take your star player to the hospital for an x-ray." I replied back with a sarcastic making the coach fume even more than he was now.

"He doesn't need a damn x-ray. It's nothing Tylenol and a good night's sleep can't fix." Finstock argued once more and I rolled my eyes heavily, practically rolling them into the back of my head. "Get up, Jackson."

"Stay down, Jackson." I ordered sharply as Jackson began to sit up slowly with his uninjured arm. He lied back down at my order. "He probably needs to see a doctor or you will be facing a lawsuit and a 0-1 beginning season."

"You'll be facing lawsuit if you don't get off my field and let me deal with my team the way it should be handled." Coach growled and I narrowed my eyes, pressing my tongue to my cheek and tapping my foot.

"Let me rephrase this so that you're stubborn little brain can understand." I spat, not even caring that I was speaking to a teacher anymore. "He needs to see a doctor or Jackson Whitmore, the team captain, will be a permanent benchwarmer for the rest of the season! Got it?"

Finstock was entirely silent along with the rest of the lacrosse team who were now all watching me with shock and even amusement. "Someone help Whitmore up and get him to the locker rooms." Coach ordered, getting up from his knees and giving me a glare that I thought might kill me. No one moved. "Now!" Coach barked and Danny and Greenburg jumped into action. They wrapped their arms around his shoulders carefully and then drug him off to the locker rooms. "Next time you pull a stunt like that, I'll make sure you have an entire week of detention." Finstock growled, pointing a stubby finger at me and then storming off. "Get off my field."

"We'd better go and wait for Jackson." I sighed out exasperatedly to Lydia who nodded in agreement. We began to make our way up the field, grabbing my backpack on the way. We walked through the backdoors and then waited around at the doors. Lydia said she'd go pull the car around and I was left waiting by myself in front of the locker rooms, leaned up against the wall and practically falling asleep.

Soon enough, the door of the boy's locker room opened and Jackson stumbled out. He was dressed in a form-fitting t-shirt and basketball shorts. He hadn't noticed I was standing there until he lifted his head up and paused. I thought he was going to keep walking until he narrowed his eyes and flared his nostrils. "Why the hell did you stand up for me?" Jackson asked almost angrily. I was slightly put off by his tone of voice and huffed, kicking myself up from the wall and rolling my eyes stressfully.

"I kept you from practically losing your arm and living in pain for months." I informed him, nodding my head towards the shoulder he was currently holding on to. "You should be thanking me."

"I'm confused as to why I would actually now have reasons to thank you." Jackson replied, making a face of distaste.

"I did it for the sake of the freaking lacrosse team, okay? Besides, as much as I'd love to see you hobbling around on the field while they kick your ass up and down that field," Jackson glared at me. "I don't want you and Lydia bitching about it."

"So you convinced coach to let me seek medical attention just so you didn't have to hear me whine? Of course, that makes sense." Jackson scoffed, rolling his eyes and shaking his head with the ugly smirk on his lips. "Now tell me why you really did it?"

"What? You want me to admit that I have some secret crush on you?" I snorted, crossing my arms over my chest and throwing my head back. "Oh, Jackson, even though you're an incredible mega douche to everyone you meet including me; I love you more than a fat kid loves cake- _bull shit_." I snapped at the end, turning my dazed expression into one of complete irritation. "I told you. I did it for the team."

"Since when have you cared about the lacrosse team? Maybe you have some secret crush on McCall." Jackson teased, grinning cockily and I scowled at him indignantly. "Damn, if looks could kill."

"I know. You'd be down on the floor and I'd happily throw you in the dumpster to hide your body from suspicious people." I smirked, cocking my head to the side and letting my ponytail sway as Jackson's grin fell short. "Look, Lydia parked the car out front. _Unfortunately_ , I will be removing myself from your gracious presence."

"And what do I owe this blessing?"

"My sister's picking me up, assface. Go, before I punch you in your little crippled shoulder." I told him and he rolled his eyes before brushing passed me, holding onto his shoulder as he left. I looked over my shoulder until he'd left inside Lydia's car and then made my own way down to wait for Andre.

It had only been my second week here and I had done-almost-everything I had vowed not to do when I took a seat in front of Principal Thomas last Sunday. I had told him I wasn't going to make fights or cause trouble, which I hadn't. The part I hadn't told anyone was that I didn't want to make friends-get involved with other people. I wanted to keep myself out of any limelight or attention. I didn't want people knowing I existed but of course, that plan failed epically. It turned out to be that everyone knew me and I had Lydia and myself to thank for that. Sitting at the same table and associating with the popular girl was enough to get you attention to last your entire high school career. I also had stood up during a crowded lacrosse practice and cheered for Scott loudly. I was still wondering why the hell I had even thought that was a good idea in the first place.

I had a specific reason why I didn't want people to become close to me. I had tried having a best friend in the seventh grade. I had her before I body slammed Samantha Alberts. Only a year after that, I had my volcano meltdown and that's when I lost anyone that had ever honestly cared about me and I lost anyone I had honestly cared about. I tried not to think back to that day but I knew I would do it eventually. Once I had gotten my mind to clear itself from thinking about two weeks before this, it crawled slowly to settle on my thoughts. I remember exactly how it happened, what the day looked like it, who was around…every detail was crystal clear.

 _I backed away from the kid lying on his back, holding his nose, and crying softly into the linoleum floor. I held my hands up in mock surrender, a blank expression coating my face like the blood on his face. I licked my lips slowly and then ran my tongue on the bottom of my teeth before looking up. Hailey was standing in the front of the crowd, her eyes wide and her mouth agape as she stared down at the boy she called her own brother. From the look on her face, I knew I'd missed up. I'd screwed up anything I had ever created between us and I knew that after this, things would be different. For some reason, I didn't even care. I believed I had fallen too deep in darkness and it was over. I was done trying to be the good girl and the star child. I was finished and this ended now._

" _What did you do?" Hailey breathed out, kneeling down slowly and reaching out shaky hands towards her brother._

" _He wouldn't leave me alone." I answered calmly, lowering my hands and carefully placing them at my sides. "He said some things I didn't like."_

" _So you broke his nose?" Hailey gasped, looking up at me with glossy eyes. I realized that at this point, she was upset and on the brink of crying._

" _I broke his nose?" I curiously lifted a brow and stood on my toes to try and get a better look at the kid. Hailey jumped, scooting closer to him and I frowned at her with a puzzled expression. She was shaking and she had her arms wrapped around his head._

" _You have to stop, Tess. You can't keep hurting people like this." Hailey told me, shaking her head and sniffling. It was so odd-seeing such intelligence from an eighth grader but I wasn't surprised. Hailey was the top of her class and she had vocabulary more advanced than a lot of people at our middle school._

" _And then do what?" I grumbled, looking down at my bruised knuckles. I flexed them and hissed softly, letting my eyes fall shut. "You want me to drop fighting so I have more time to fail classes and have my parents yell at me from crying when I feel like I can't do anything right?"_

" _If you stop fighting then you can get focus on getting better grades." Hailey replied back, her shoulders sagging as she moved her hands to rest on her brother's shoulders. People were beginning to leave now, uninterested in the conversation._

" _You make it sound so easy, you know?" I scoffed, rolling my eyes and turning on my heels to face my back towards her. "It's not. It's seriously not because I've tried!"_

" _Then try harder!" Hailey spat back quickly, catching me slightly off guard. We'd never been like this with each other before. She'd never been legitimately angry with me. Sure she'd been irritated with I'd used my sarcasm against teachers or eaten the last of her lunch while she went to the bathroom but we'd never yelled at one another. I had to admit, I wasn't used to it and I didn't like it. "You give up so easily on schoolwork but-but if you're in a fight it's entirely different." Hailey whispered and I heard her sniffle again. I didn't dare to look at her. "You keep fighting even though you're already pinned to the ground. You try harder to get back up."_

" _Are you trying to compare my schoolwork to fighting?" I snorted, shaking my head and glaring at the school doors in front of me._

" _No, I'm not. I'm saying that if you put more effort in school, then you want have that much motivation to fight. You can change the direction of your motivation." Hailey explained and I bit down on the side of my cheek, staring down at the floor._

" _What if I don't want to? What if I liked fighting? What if it is the only place where I really feel myself?" I asked her quietly, turning slowly but keeping my gaze focused down to the ground._

" _How do you feel yourself by hurting my little brother?" Hailey asked incredulously. She helped him to the floor and then sent him off to the nurse, explaining to him that he got hit with a basketball. Everyone had left now and as her brother walked away, we were the only people left in the hallway._

" _Fighting helps me let out all those emotions my parents don't allow me to express in other ways at home." I told her honestly, lifting up my head and looking into her eyes weakly. "You don't understand, Hailey. You'll never understand!"_

" _Help me understand then, Tessa. Help me understand so I can help you." Hailey begged, clasping her hands together and shaking them in front of her._

" _You can't help me. No one can help me." I seethed, twisting up my face and sucking in my bottom lip. "No one understands how I feel. They just care about how they feel about me."_

" _That's not true." Hailey muttered, shaking her head and taking a step closer to me. Instantly, I shot backwards, moving away from her. She furrowed her brow, a hand still outstretched in the air which had been meant for my shoulder._

" _Please, don't touch me. I don't want to hurt you." I told her calmly, holding my breath and then looking away from her. "I can't change myself, Hailey. And yes…I felt myself when I hit your brother."_

 _Hailey went silent and I saw her staring down at the floor, a single tear rolling down her face as the words hit her like a train. "Tessa, I can't be friends with someone like you. I can't have you putting my family in danger."_

" _I don't want to put your family in danger." I agreed, nodding my head and blinking back the tears that dared to fall. This was the end. Hailey and the friendship I had built with her, had just crumbled underneath my black fist. I had lost everyone._

I practically shot up in the air when I felt a hand touch my shoulder. I spun around quickly, stumbling backwards as I quickly tried to see who had touched me. When I turned around, I was more than confused to see Scott McCall standing there with a terrified expression covering his puppy dog-like features. I let out a breath of relief, placing my hand on my chest. I closed my eyes and then shook my head.

"I didn't mean to scare you." He said shyly, putting down the hand I assumed he'd tapped me with while I was daydreaming. I wouldn't call it dreaming actually. It was more of a nightmare filled flashback into my favorite thing…my past. I was actually glad that Scott had knocked me out of it.

"Well you did." I hissed out irritably, dropping my hand down from my chest and then opening my eyes to look at him. "What are you still doing here? Practice ended like five minutes ago and you ran off with Stiles."

Scott's brown eyes suddenly widened with panic. "Y-you saw that?"

I furrowed my brow, frowning slightly and crossing my arms. "Yeah, I did. You and Stiles aren't exactly the most subtle people." I mumbled the last part to myself and puffed out my cheeks, bobbing my eyebrows. "By the way, you literally knocked Jackson's shoulder all the way to the other side of the Earth. I had to practically beg coach to let me take him to the hospital."

"I sent him to the hospital?" Scott whined, closing his eyes and rubbing his eyes with his palms nervously. "Is he really hurt?"

"I don't know but he's not dead so that's a good sign." I answered with a sarcastic smile that didn't help ease Scott's nerves. "I'm not as mad as Lydia probably is. I'm actually not mad at all. I don't like Jackson all that much."

"It doesn't matter." Scott groaned, throwing his face in his hands as he took a seat down on the bench beside him. "I still sent him to the hospital."

"Look, it's probably just separated or dislocated. It's nothing some pain medication and rest can't fix." I assured him, holding my hands out to my sides and trying to sound as helpful as possible. "Why did you come out here anyway?"

Scott lifted his head up and rubbed the back of his neck. "I came out here to talk to you about Allison." He said calmly. "She, uh-she gave me a second chance."

"Great, you guys can live happily ever after." I said tonelessly, shrugging my shoulders and making a face. "What does this have to do with me?"

"I thought maybe you talked her into it?" Scott grimaced, looking up at me as if my answer was going to jump out of my throat and bite him in the face. I stared down at Scott blankly, going over his words. I should have been flattered but for some reason, I was practically muddled out of my mind. After the way I'd been to everyone around me, including his best friend, he still thought so well of me. It bugged me-gnawed at the back of head and poked me in the stomach.

"Why-why do you think that?" I asked, blinking repeatedly and shaking my head. I shifted my stance and tipped my chin down to look towards Scott.

"She seems to really like you and I see you guys talking a lot." Scott answered, shrugging his shoulder and twiddling his thumbs. "I figured that maybe you convinced her to give me another chance."

I was quiet for a few minutes before I laughed humorlessly. "Your expectations are way too high for me, McCall."

"What do you mean?" His eyebrows knitted together and he sat up straighter, perceptibly jumbled as to what I had said.

"I mean that I didn't talk to Allison. Her pretty little mind did that all by itself." I said with a tight smile and I rocked back on my heels. "Of course she asked me about it but I told her to follow her heart or some wise shit." I grumbled, squeezing my eyes shut and waving my hand around my head.

"I also came out here for another reason." Scott said after a few moments of silence had passed where I stared down at the toes of my sneakers. I lifted up my head and silently prodded him to continue. "It kind of has to do with second chances."

"I don't like mysteries, Scott. Spit it out already." I snapped impatiently, drumming my toe on the ground continually.

"You shouldn't be angry with Stiles." Scott did as I told him to and I suddenly wished I hadn't ordered him to do so. Every single word that had just come out of Scott's mouth displeased me and made me roll my eyes heavily.

"Why? He ran out on me not to mention he also invited himself into a topic I'm not all too entirely comfortable sharing with people." I spat, picking at a loose string on my hoodie. Since it was Monday, I had settled for a lazier outfit than usual. I wore a pair of black leggings, turquoise running shoes, and a gray jacket that zipped up from the middle of the chest to the chin. My hair was pulled back into a high ponytail and a black headband was holding back loose pieces of hair.

"He didn't run out on you because he felt like it." Scott defended, getting up to his feet and making me take a step back. "It was my fault."

"How the hell was it your fault? Do you have mind control powers over Stiles?" I gaped unhopefully, widening my eyes and dropping my mouth open.

Scott glared at me, unamused. "Come on, you gotta just listen to me. Your name is Tessa, right?" Scott raised an eyebrow and I nodded shyly, kicking a rock away with the front of my shoe. "I had some… _issues_."

"It's okay, Scott. You can use the "p" word." I told him with a fake pout. He crumpled his brow and frowned faintly.

"What is the "p" word?" He asked and I licked my lips slowly. I glanced around me and then leaned forward, placing my hand on his shoulder.

" _Period"_ I whispered and Scott's eyes widened in horror.

"W-what? No, that is not what happened!" Scott exclaimed, throwing his arms around and shaking his head frantically. I cackled evilly, placing my hands on my stomach and throwing my head back. "Why would you think that?"

"It was a joke, dude." I informed him, tightening my ponytail and recovering from my moment. "Jeez, I need to hang out with you more often. That look was priceless."

"I thought that only happens to girls." Scott muttered to himself. "Do guys-?"

I paused waiting for him to finish but he didn't. Once I pieced together just exactly what he was asking, my own eyes broadened. "Oh my God, no!" I wheezed, slapping my hand onto my forehead and shutting my eyes.

"Well, I was just curious!" Scott squeaked, holding up his hands in simulated surrender.

"Seriously, did you not go to the eighth grade?" I asked him feebly, dropping my hand down from my head and giving him a pathetic look. "You live with your mom!"

"I'm sorry that you tried to put that sort of information into my head." Scott cried, throwing his arms up above his head and looking like a legit kicked puppy. I rolled my eyes in annoyance.

"Then what were your issues? Cause Allison seemed pissed by them too." I asked him, raising my eyebrow and shifting my weight to stand on my heels.

"I…" Scott made a noise like he was getting his throat stepped on and he it was just a straight noise that made me frown. "I can't tell you."

"You made me stand through,"-I waved my arms around him frantically-"that,"-Scott looked down at himself subconsciously-"just to be disappointed?"

"Do I have to keep apologizing?" Scott grumbled, sagging his shoulders and looking up towards the sky like he was sending up a silent prayer.

"Probably because you keep doing stupid crap, McCall," I said satirically, cocking my head to the side and smirking at him emotionlessly. For the first time, Scott glared at me and it was not a look I had seen on his face unless he was in lacrosse. "Okay, if you're planning on running into me and dislocating my shoulders, I'd like to have a few last words." I flinched, holding up my hands as he rolled his eyes now. "Hey, you do have a sense of humor." I told him proudly, smiling and nodding my head.

"I really need you to listen to me, Tessa." Scott said, making my smile fall short as I watched him carefully. "Don't be mad at Stiles. Be mad at me if you want to be mad at someone. Stiles only ran out on you because of me, alright?"

"Why are you doing this for him? I'm pretty sure almost every time we talk; we get into some not-so-productive argument." I explained, rocking on my heels and looking up towards the sky for a moment.

"He feels bad, okay? I know that you two aren't really friends but he still feels bad." Scott replied, sighing and running a hand through his shaggy brown hair.

I was thinking about how to reply but there was a honking noise behind us. I looked over my shoulder and saw that the Range Rover had pulled up to the curb. Andre was sitting in the driver's seat, her head down in her phone. I turned my head back towards Scott and gave him a pitiful look. "I gotta go." I muttered before turning on my heel and rushing towards the car, leaving Scott in my dust.

I gave him one last glance before Andre pulled away from the curb and set her phone down in her lap, playing music softly through the speakers. She was dressed in a pair of jeans, bright pink running shoes, and a Nike hoodie that was a lighter gray with a pink accented "NIKE" across the front of her chest. She had her hair pulled up into a messy bun and false diamond earrings hung from her ears. She was stunning as always even if she dressed almost exactly I did. I was practically envying the looks of my older sister.

"Who was that boy? He was cute." Andre said through a piece of gum she chewed quietly inside her mouth. She turned up the heater in the car, her nude nails turning the dial and making it slightly warmer considering I had opened the door and let cold air in.

"That was Scott. And I think he looks like a kicked puppy." I replied back dryly, opening a piece of gum from the package I found on the dashboard while Andre snorted. She seemed to be in a better mood than usual and settled back into her seat. "I see school didn't drag along for you."

"It's Monday. School does that for everyone. Some of us are just better at concealing it." Andre replied back to me with a smile that I could easily tell was forced. She was fronting and she was good at it. She was a lot better at it than me who had a frown permanently etched onto my face as soon as I got out of school. "You never told me how the party went Friday. You secluded yourself inside your room unless you wanted to eat or use the bathroom."

"The party was lame." I answered back easily, giving her a side glance and shrugging my shoulder. "I designated myself chip-eater and nasty beer drinker."

"Oh sounds responsible." Andre chirped, turning the car onto the main road. I smiled into my lap, fiddling with the gum wrapper in between my fingers. "You weren't wasted when I picked you up so obviously you just ate chips."

"What can I say? Eating overrules all." I said, balling up the gum wrapper and shoving it into my sweater pocket. "Jackson went to the hospital today."

"He's the douchebag that's dating that girl Lydia, right?" Andre clarified and I nodded. "What did fate have in store for him?"

"Scott slammed into him like a baby rhino and probably dislocated his shoulder." I told her calmly and I heard Andre snicker softly, shaking her head and making her bun bounce slightly. "I had to beg the coach to allow Jackson to actually get it checked out."

"I have a bad feeling about that guy, honestly." Andre said, scrunching up her face and shaking her shoulders. "I don't know how the hell he's a teacher."

"He probably threatened Thomas with his loud voice and buggy eyes." I muttered back coldly, making my own face and making Andre laugh again.

"You are more sarcastic than usual. It was that bad of a day, huh?" She asked, turning on her turn signal and then turning onto the road that held our neighborhood on the left side. I knew that Scott didn't go the same way we did. He took a shortcut through the woods and usually was putting his bike away once we pulled into the driveway. I usually ignored him and went inside my house. We'd never talked until today and honestly? Scott reminded me of a clueless baby even if he did dislocate Jackson's shoulder and become one of the best players on the lacrosse team.

I sighed and then lied back in my seat, tipping my head up towards the top of the car. "It wasn't that bad. It was just full of me wanting to punch everyone in the face which is the usual."

"But,"-Andre nodded her head slowly, drawling loudly-"we aren't going to punch anyone because bad things-worse things will happen." She reminded me and I let my eyes fall shut, exhausted from everything including where this conversation was heading.

"This close,"-I lifted up my thumb and forefinger, putting them close together-"to deciding to lash out one day and see how many kids I can fit in one locker."

"I seriously wonder where you come up with these things." Andre mumbled, blinking her eyes and obviously distributed by my thoughts I had just shared with her. "I will give you props. I couldn't be as imaginative as you."

"I go to extents you've never dreamed of." I whispered out with mock threat and she rolled her eyes, a small smile quirking at the corner of her lips. The Range Rover turned and we pulled into the driveway. I looked through my window and saw Scott's bicycle turn sharply off the path he took home. He shot up dirt as he turned and then parked it next to the porch, clicking off his helmet and heading inside as I climbed out of my own car. The Range Rover beeped as Andre locked it and hurried up to the door.

I looked over my shoulder towards Scott's house and I scanned his yard. I let my eyes take in details before they studied the trail where Scott had just ridden out from. I paused, my body stiffening as I saw a dark figure standing farther back inside the trees. Slowly, I narrowed my eyes and turned my entire body. I cocked my head to the side and I recognized it as a person. There was someone standing behind Scott's house and when I was able to make out a head, I saw the eyes.

They were staring directly at me.

* * *

 **AN: Oooh, scary...mystery man. I'm pretty sure you guys can guess who it is but I realized I hadn't put him in the story at all! I'm working on ways to incorporate it before one of the major events happen! Did you guys like that flashback? I was planning on not adding it and then having Tessa just go home instead of talk to Scott but that was honestly my favorite thing to write out of this entire chapter! But I haven't given much depth to the reason why Tessa is...well, Tessa. So, I thought maybe the flashback would help kind of show you why she's afraid to make friends and let people in.**

 **As seriously always, please, please, please leave reviews, favorite and follow!**

 **Love everyone who has already done so, so much!**


	5. Chapter 5

I hadn't been to the hospital since the day my father died. I never liked hospitals to begin with and for the fact that I had my own tragic memory to share with the place made it even more uncomfortable for me to be sitting in the ugly, uncomfortable hospital chairs. I was practically going insane while Lydia chirped in a highly annoying voice to her friend on her Bluetooth. Just to add onto the crap-fest I was having, I was pissed off just because Lydia had dragged me here against my freewill. She forced me to sit in the same confined space as Jackson, aka her tiny ass Beetle, while they complained to each other basically the entire time. I had tried to pull out my headphones in the middle of the complaining party but Lydia was not going to have it. She snapped her fingers in the rearview mirror, raising her perfectly plucked eyebrows, and shaking her head with a venomous smile.

She was paying no attention to me whatsoever so I was wondering why the hell she even brought me here. I figured it was maybe for the fact that she didn't want to look stranded in the hospital because Lydia Martin was always around people. She was never alone and I was bewildered at how she was perfectly capable of living that life. All I ever wanted was to be alone and Lydia was making that virtually impossible. I had no way out of it either. I couldn't hide from her. She'd somehow gotten my phone number and I didn't want to take the chances of her getting my address. She'd show up to my house and blow-torch every bit of clothing I ever loved. I wasn't about to let my shoes turn into her fireplace fuel.

"Lydia, hey,"-I mumbled, leaning in my chair on my knees and tapping her on the shoulder roughly-"I'm hungry."

Lydia glared at me, pulling her shoulder away like I had just sneezed and then tried to touch her. "Okay? Do I look like a take-out menu?"

I rolled my eyes and then pulled my knees out from underneath me. "If you did that would make me actually like you." I reminded her with a smirk that she replied back with her own, unamused smile. "But I have money in my bag and I saw a vending machine on the way in. Since you have basically been treating me like a child, I supposed I should ask you permission before I ran off on my own."

Lydia murmured into her Bluetooth and then turned her head to look at me. She thought for a moment, narrowing her green eyes and pursing her lips. "Well considering you don't have your license or my car keys, you can't leave the hospital." Lydia informed me and I sighed exasperatedly. "You come back as soon as your food hits the box."

"Wow, I have so much freedom. I don't even know how to handle this." I gasped, my eyes widening as I let a grin leading as mock happiness spread across my lips. "Dobby is a free elf!"

"If you keep making Harry Potter jokes, I will staple you to the chair." Lydia said sweetly, batting her eyelashes up at me and smiling bitterly.

"Wouldn't that be considered child abuse?"

"Go!"

I hopped up from the chair, grabbing my backpack and then took off around the corner. I located the vending machine just at the end of the hallway and dug the loose change out of a spare pocket in my bag. I counted it and then read the list of what snacks the glowing box of happiness had to offer. I was pleased to see that I could get myself either a candy bar or a bag of chips. After a few seconds of debating, I decided on a bag of Lays and stuffed my money inside. I pushed the buttons and then waited patiently as the bag slid forward at an excruciatingly slow pace. I resisted from punching the plastic barrier between the chips and me. It fell into the box and I grabbed it, smiling at the chips happily before brooding back to take my place beside Lydia. I came around the corner and paused when I saw someone standing in front of my spot. I ducked back around the wall and kept myself hidden.

"-you probably don't remember me. Uh, I sit behind you in biology?" Oh my-it was _Stiles_. For some odd reason, Stiles was at the hospital and had seen Lydia sitting in the chairs by herself. I kept myself from bursting out in uncontrollable laughter and slowly peeked around the corner to find Lydia. She was looking up at him but I could still see the Bluetooth from my angle. She wasn't off the phone and I wasn't quite sure if Stiles was even hardly aware. "Uh, anyway…" Stiles was obviously seeing the dumb, dazed look on Lydia's face but was mistaking it for interest in the conversation. I thought I should stop him, tell him she was on the phone but who was I kidding? I was still living pissed at him. This was the most entertainment I'd gotten all day.

"I always thought that we just had this kind of connection." Stiles continued and I kept from slamming my forehead into the wall in front of me. Of course Stiles had a crush on Lydia Martin. I should have recognized that when he flipped out about it on the first day of school. I was surprised I was stupid enough to not realize that. "You know, unspoken of course." Stiles let out a breathy laugh, shrugging his shoulder. I watched as Lydia smiled, nodding her head but she was defienently not responding to him. "I thought it'd be cool to…get to know each other a little better."

Lydia suddenly whipped up a manicured finger. "Hold on. Give me a second." She said to the voice inside the Bluetooth and then revealed to Stiles that she had been on the phone ever since he had started talking. She took it off and then looked back up at Stiles whose entire body had stiffened. "Yeah, I didn't get any of what you just said. Was it worth repeating?" Lydia told him and I frowned upon the impolite manners. I flickered my eyes up and tried to see Stiles's face but it was physically impossible from my angle.

"Uh, um," I could hear Stiles practically choking on his own voice. "No." He replied and I ran my tongue over my teeth. I had to admit. It was a bit tragic seeing Stiles shot down so brutally. It reminded me of a certain memory myself. "Sorry. I'm just gonna-"

Stiles turned around to point at the chair just around the corner when I smiled animatedly. "Hello, Stilinski."

"Whoa!" Stiles gasped, throwing his arms out and flailing backwards, literally flying in the air. I watched with amusement as he tried to regain footing and then glared at me intensely. "What the hell, Tessa?"

"Oops. Did I scare you?" I asked, cocking up an eyebrow and fixing my chips in my hands. "Or are you still trying to recover from the massive embarrassment of saying something to someone and not knowing they didn't hear a single word?" I murmured curiously, twisting up my face and opening the back of chips.

Stiles expression was blank as his mouth hung open and slowly his eyes widened to the size of saucers. "You-you heard all of that?" He mumbled his body sagging as he took a few steps forward.

"Oh, yeah." I replied back with a grin and a throaty giggle. "I heard _everything_."

"Aw shit," Stiles hissed, squeezing his eyes shut and face palming loudly. "Of course you had to just be the one to hear it all." He walked passed me and collapsed down into the chair he had tried to sit in before. I moved away, going to stand in front of him while I popped a chip into my mouth. "Go ahead, insult me. It's not like you're totally enjoying seeing my failure."

"Of course I'm enjoying this!" I exclaimed, throwing a hand up and nodding. "But, I have still have a pissed off conscious."

Stiles looked up at me nervously, visibly flinching. "I assume that doesn't mean well for me."

"No way in hell."

"Perfect." Stiles sighed, dropping his head into his hands. "As if this moment was going to get progressively better, I should always count on you to knock that down too."

"It probably won't be as brutal as Lydia's attack. She-she was just a total bitch." I scoffed, crunching audibly as tiny crumbs fell onto the floor. "I was planning on never talking to you again but obviously that has failed epically considering I'm saying this to you right now." I told him, nodding my head in his direction. "So, I might as well just let you know that I have tried to set you outside my circle."

"Your circle? What the hell is that?" Stiles groaned, lifting up his head and holding his hands up from where his head had sat moments ago.

"It's this like this big," I put my thumb and my forefinger together, squinting my eyes and looking at Stiles through it. "-and it consists of yours truly," I smiled, pointing to myself, "my sister, and sarcasm."

"Sarcasm? That doesn't even make any sense." Stiles shot back, raising a confused brow and I dropped my hand down, giving him an irritated look.

"We've gone over this before. It makes sense to me so I don't have to explain myself to you." I said strongly, shrugging my shoulder and eating another chip.

"Okay, why does it matter? I wasn't even in your circle anyway." Stiles pointed out, shaking his head and sinking lower in his chair.

"I'll admit, you were weaseling your little buzz cut head in there"-I moved my hand around in a swimming motion-"but I just slammed the door in your face."

"I honestly don't know how you say such mean things in such a nice tone of voice." Stiles muttered, rolling his eyes. "It's honestly the only thing that is impressive about your entire being."

"I am truly thankful, Stiles, really. But I still wish to have your ass hanging above my fireplace." I told him, placing my greasy fingers on my chest and smiling with mock warmth which made him glower at me with distaste.

"That's only disturbing because it's specific and you already scare me in the first place." Stiles replied, shaking for effect. I smirked, shoving another chip into my mouth. "And even though you don't think so, I honestly feel bad."

"Oh because you left suddenly while I was sharing something important with you?" I asked, raising my eyebrows. "Or is it because you've worn those shoes three days in a row?" I internally cringed. I was starting to sound like Lydia and this was the first thing that had ever scared me. My interaction at Scott's house with the creepy man was right behind the Lydia transformation.

"I feel bad because I left you at the party and-and I promise, it wasn't on purpose." Stiles said softly, shaking his head.

"Scott came and talked to me Monday after lacrosse practice." I informed Stiles, taking the last few chips out of my bag and shoving them in my mouth. "He said that you left because of him."

"So why are you still mad at me?" Stiles asked almost in a whine, letting his head fall back against the wall behind him.

"Because I like watching you squirm." I replied back devilishly and Stiles frowned, twitching in his seat underneath my gaze. "And because Scott wouldn't even tell me why you two left so I still have reason to believe that you just left."

"Oh come on!" Stiles huffed, slamming his hands down in his lap and twisting up his face like he'd just lost a bet. "What-what more do you want from me?"

I thought for a moment, running my tongue of my salty lips. "There's one thing that you haven't done. Not even Scott said it."

"And what's that?" Stiles asked quietly, raising his eyebrows and leaning up in his seat. I swallowed and then looked down at the ground.

"You never apologized."

Stiles gawked at me as he blinked slowly. He obviously hadn't realized that the words 'I'm sorry' hadn't left his mouth. I was surprised I hadn't noticed that sooner and was silently kicking myself. I hated sounding quiet and pathetic in front of people. That was how my voice had come out to Stiles just now. It was also an added bonus. It added more of an effect and I liked seeing Stiles speechless. It was a change from his constant chatter which got him and Scott in trouble in class.

"Tessa!"

I jumped, having not noticed that Stiles and I had lapsed into silence. I shook my head, flashing the dryness off of my eyes. I looked around, not recognizing the high-pitched shrill that had just called out my name. I swallowed and then gave one last longing glance at Stiles before turning around the corner. I guessed his apology had to wait…unless he didn't have one. I would be surprised either way.

"I'm here, I'm here," I said, once I figured out Lydia called my name. She was standing beside Jackson who looked angrier than anything. I could see a small shimmer of lip gloss on his top lip which probably meant some of his anger was a front. I could imagine what had happened while I wasn't watching and it made me want to gag.

"I need your opinion." Lydia told me, her voice sharp like she was spitting knives. She had her arm looped in Jackson's and she flipped her hair over her shoulder. "I think Jackson should get a cortisone shot just before the game tomorrow."

"Isn't that illegal or something?" I asked, cocking up an eyebrow and making a face. I could see it on Jackson's face that he didn't like this idea.

"The pro's do it all the time. And their called pro's because they are always at their best." Lydia snapped, giving a daring look up at Jackson.

"I didn't know lacrosse had a professional league." I mumbled more to myself but Lydia heard it and she did not like it. She glared at me menacingly and tightened her hold around Jackson's uninjured arm. "But…yeah sure. They do it all the time."

Jackson was all but pleased by my answer and gave a thick eye roll towards the ceiling which Lydia pretended to not see. Instead, she mumbled something about leaving and strutted away. I dared not look over my shoulder, knowing who I would see. I wanted to look, just to see his surprised expression one more time but Lydia was covering ground quickly, leaving me to feebly scramble after her. I hiked my backpack up on my shoulders and then rushed down, still keeping a small distance between the couple.

* * *

I slammed my hand down on alarm clock beside my head, groaning as a small string of pain struck through my arm up to my shoulder. I kept my eyes closed for a few more seconds before blinking the sleep out of my eyes. I pushed myself up with my arms and then lifted up my head to look through the blinds. For being almost 10 o'clock in the morning, it was extremely bright. The birds were tweeting, the sun was shining, and dogs were barking off in the distance. I wondered how I brought up the courage to wake up on a Saturday just so I could go for a simple run. I needed it. I really did. I hadn't worked out since before my life decided to turn into shit. I figured maybe letting off some steam would help me relax and adjust better to life here in Beacon Hills. I had made it through this town two weeks and was practically drained. I had to spend my whole life here.

I rolled out of my bed-trying to walk on the rug Andre had gotten me to add color to my room. It was a dark brown carpet which migrated with the walls easily. I wasn't sure what kind of color Andre thought this would bring but she knew me well enough to not buy neon colored rug. The carpet was much warmer than the wooden floor and I was able to get inside my closet where there were enough clothes on the floor for me to stand on. I dug through the drawers that held closed I used for either sleeping or athletic purposes. They were the most unorganized drawers in the entire closet and I wasn't planning on trying to make all the socks match on my Saturday.

I tugged on a white long sleeve shirt with a logo on the front from a skiing resort up near Aspen, Colorado. It was enough to keep me covered from the chill that still lingered in the forests towards the outskirts of Beacon Hills. I knew where I wanted to run. I had been staring at it almost every time we'd driven passed it when Andre decided she wanted to go take a hike. Once through the trees, I had seen a structure and was more than curious to figure out what it was. I pulled up a pair of black running shorts with a white accent around the thighs and up the sides of my leg. I snatched a pair of simple black running shoes from the bottom of my closet and then threw my hair up in a tight ponytail. I washed my face and brushed my teeth before sneaking out of the bathroom. Andre was still dead asleep inside her bed so I wrote a quick note before taking off out the front door. I had planned this run for a few days now and knew the exact route I was going to take. I was going to cut across the street and go through the shortcut Scott took home from school on his bike. I stuffed my headphones in my ears and began to weave my way through the trees.

As soon as I was locked inside the music and my focus was set forward, my mind began to drift away from the running. I hadn't been this alone since I'd moved here. I was free. No one was following me. No one was dragging me to lacrosse practices, hospital appointments, parties, or even just to my last hour of school. I could do whatever I wanted until my legs couldn't run any longer. I didn't have anyone asking me about Stiles and that had become one of the most aggravating things in my week. Allison had tried to pry during lunch and Scott had even tried to make an attempt to speak with me again but I changed the subject or walked in the other direction. I wasn't in the mood to talk about it anymore. It was over and done with. I was over it. Of course I still wouldn't talk to Stiles but I wasn't going to let it drag down my mood.

I was starting to recognize exactly where I was it. My heart thumped in my chest, almost blocking out the sound of my music. I was anxious and my body was not used to running so much when I hadn't done anything for almost two weeks. As I followed my path, I began to see a black structure fade in and out between the trees but something was different about it this time. I had thought it was abandoned. No one was ever there when I drove by but this time, there were tons of people there. It wasn't just people-it was _police_. I instantly wanted to turn back, run far away from here, but my feet kept moving forward, slowing into a tiptoe as I neared closer.

The structure was in fact a house but it didn't look like a home. It actually looked like it used to be a house. It was crumbling beneath the harsh sunlight but from my angle, it looked like it belonged in a horror movie. From the black ashes coating the area surrounding it and the missing roof, the house had been set on fire. There was no specific color on the wood except for a dark, moody, black. It sent shivers up my spine and made a bubble well inside my chest. Someone had lived here-a family at worst. I could practically feel the horror, pain, and sadness coming from the house. And I knew then. A life had been shattered inside those walls. Someone had died in there and it wasn't just one person, it was a lot of people. Aside from my emotional tether to the house, I was still confused as to why the police were here but my confusion grew immensely when I saw who was watching at the edge of the clearing beside a dirty, blue Jeep Wrangler.

"Why am I not surprised to see you two idiots here?" I hissed from behind them, pulling my headphones from my ears and stopping my music. They both jumped, spinning around with terrified expressions on their faces.

"Tessa!" Stiles gasped his eyes wide as he tried to steady himself while Scott remained silent. "What-what the hell are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same question." I shot back, narrowing my eyes and crossing my arms over my chest.

"I asked you first." Stiles argued and I paused, frowning when I realized that this idiot was right. I huffed a breath of irritation and stood up straighter.

"I was on a run in case you didn't notice." I answered, gesturing to my body and my red cheeks, sweat coating my forehead. "I've been seeing this place for days when Andre goes on her hikes on Sunday's sometimes. I thought I'd check it out."

"This-this is private property." Stiles tried to justify and I raised my brow, giving him a slightly disapproving look.

"That didn't stop you two." I said calmly and the boys exchanged a nervous look. "Or the police…" I murmured and then walked forward, hiding behind the hood of the Jeep. "Why are they here anyways-this place is abandoned."

"It's not actually." Stiles clarified and I shot him a puzzled look. "Derek Hale lives here-well lived now since he's getting arrested."

Derek. I had heard that name before and I couldn't remember from where. Someone had said something about him to me but I honestly couldn't rack my mind to remember where. I'd figure it out later. "He's getting arrested?"

"You remember that body they found in the woods the night before the first day of school?" Scott asked me, for the first time saying something to me.

"Briefly but yes." I replied, nodding my head and then walking all the way to stand in between the two boys. "If you're saying Derek is responsible, that doesn't make any sense. They said they'd caught a culprit the next morning."

"What they didn't tell you…" Stiles breathed out, glancing at Scott. "The body is was, uh, cut in half."

I paused staring forward before making a noise. "Huh…I was not expecting that." I murmured, rubbing the back of my sweat covered neck. "So, they found the second half of the body that night but let me guess. The first half of the body showed up here…"

"Well, it didn't exactly show up." Stiles clarified, putting up in his hands and shrugging his shoulders. "Scott and I, uh, found it."

"Stiles," Scott hissed angrily beneath his breath, leaning forward and looking passed me with a panicked expression.

"What?" Stiles squeaked back innocently, holding up his hands in mock surrender. Scott just rolled his eyes and then sat back, obviously noticing it was useless to try and shut Stiles up now. "It was a female jogger and some hikers found the bottom of half of her body a few days ago. So while the police were out here searching…Scott and I decided to tag along."

"And you were trying to lecture me on trespassing on private property, Stilinski?" I drawled out dryly and in return, he rolled his eyes heavily.

I heard Scott groan and he shoved his face in his hands in humiliation. "Do you have to tell her everything?"

"I doubt she would leave if I didn't." Stiles replied back to Scott with a pained tone of voice. I smiled maliciously at the two boys and then looked back towards the crime scene that was unfolding in front of me.

"So Derek Hale killed that girl, huh?" I mumbled to myself, folding my arms and resting my head on the hood of Stiles's Jeep as I watched the police come out of the house. There was a man handcuffed behind him and he had his head down. When they brought him down the steps from inside the house, I leapt backwards, gasping loudly and my eyes widening. "Oh my god!"

"What? What's happening right now?" Stiles asked, spinning around and looking at me with a slightly worried expression. I gaped as Derek was lead through his yard, passed a hole that now had a black body bag beside it. I slowly shuffled back forward and then shook my head slowly.

"I've seen him before." I told them softly. "Scott, he was-he was behind your house on Monday! Oh my God, he was looking at me." I whined, dragging my hands down on my face and trying to keep myself

Scott turned around after I'd said his name and he still had the panicked look inside his eyes. "You saw Derek? Did you see anything else?" Scott asked frantically, stepping forward and holding out his hands like he thought I was going to fall over.

"No, no, I just ran inside a little bit freaked out but oh my god!" I continued to shout again, shivering dramatically, shaking my shoulders and skipping away from the boys. I flailed my arms, sadly reminding myself of Stiles.

"Will you stop screaming?" Stiles ordered, throwing his hands down and stomping his feet as he looked over his shoulder nervously. "The police don't exactly know we're out here right now."

"Sorry that I am freaking terrified right now!" I whisper-shouted, glaring at the spastic boy in front of me. "I saw a serial killer across the street from me. You don't know what he could have been planning, Stiles."

"But he didn't kill you or anyone else." Scott reminded me.

"That we know of." Stiles muttered under his breath and Scott slapped him in the shoulder. Stiles opened his mouth in a silent cry of pain and held onto his shoulder. He spun around and faced the crime scene. "Okay, I'm done talking to you two." Stiles growled and suddenly, he was running straight towards the scene.

"What is he doing?" I exclaimed, jumping forward as Scott also was about to ask the same question. "God, he is so goddamn stupid."

"For the first time, I agree with you." Scott groaned, nodding his head and placing his palms flatly on the Jeep. And as if it could get any worse, Stiles jumped directly into the police cruiser where Derek had just been placed. I clamped my hand over my mouth to avoid cursing loudly and then looked around the car frantically. That's when I saw Mr. Stilinski going towards his cruiser.

"Mother-I'm sorry Scott." I grumbled before rushing around the Jeep and sprinting forward. My knees were still burning from the run I had just been on and I slid across the dirt and leaves right in front of Mr. Stilinski who had been about to open the passenger side door of his car. I leaned up against the window, hopefully shielding Stiles from view of his father. I wasn't doing this for Stiles's sake. I was doing it for mine. I needed more information from Stiles and if he got grounded or arrested himself and didn't show up to school, that meant I couldn't get any more information.

"In any other circumstances, I would be delighted to see you but right now?" I could see the irritation slowly working its way into Mr. Stilinski's features and I knew this wasn't going to be good. "I wished you were not standing in front of me."

I visibly cringed, trying to force an innocent smile onto my face. "Oh, come on, sheriff," I mused, lightly punching him in the shoulder. "I told you I'd make it a habit for you to see me around." I reminded the man, recalling what I had said during our first encounter when Andre had taken me to the school.

"When I said that, I didn't mean that you show up to crime scenes involving a murder." Mr. Stilinski informed and once again, I flinched. This was probably one of the worst ideas I had come up with since I'd moved here. "What are you doing here, Tessa?" He sighed frustratingly, squaring his shoulders and crossing his arms over his chest.

"I was on a run, honest." I told him, nodding my head and holding up my hands like he was telling me to put them in the air and I had the right to remain silent. "And while I was running, I spotted this,-"I gestured quite wildly to the scene around me-"and…well let's just say curiosity killed the cat…pun so not intended."

"Oh, knowing you, it was probably intended." Mr. Stilinski argued, shaking his head and forcing a weak smile onto his lips. "This is private property. You shouldn't have been out here on the first place."

"In my defense, I never saw any signs and besides, there is no one out here to really let me know that I shouldn't be here with their basset hound and rifle." I informed Mr. Stilinski, pointing my fingers at him and raising my eyebrows.

"I can happily have someone with a pistol and a German Shepard let you know that you aren't supposed to be here." He told me seriously and I swallowed thickly, my sarcastic demeanor being completely shattered underneath his withering stare. "Now get out of my way." He tried to walk around me but I quickly side-stepped him, taking the man by surprise.

"Wait, wait, wait!" I exclaimed, holding up my hands and making sure to keep Stiles out his line of vision. "I just need to ask you something." I said, breathing heavily from my brief seconds of anxiety. "What-what happened here?"

Mr. Stilinski was quiet for a few moments before he sighed and rubbed his eyes with his palms. When he looked back up, he looped his thumbs in his belt and then licked his lips slowly. "I assume Stiles told you about the body." He asked and I nodded sheepishly, picking at the bottom of my shirt. "We found the top half of the girl on the Hale property. We have enough evidence to believe he killed her." I pressed my tongue to the side of my cheek and then looked down. "I know my son is in there."

I didn't have any reason to be stand in front of Mr. Stilinski and stepped off to the side. Mr. Stilinski opened the door and pulled his son out by his ear. "Good seeing you, Mr. Stilinski!" I called as they walked away hurriedly. He waved over his shoulder and I gave a short wave back before turning on my heel, blowing out a long breath.

* * *

"Andre, for the last time, they don't sell alcoholic drinks at school functions." I groaned, leaning in through the window of Andre's Range Rover. She chewed on her lips nervously and looked around, eyeing the amount of people pouring into the school's lacrosse field. I took a quick glance over my shoulder and then looked back at her. "If you're worried about me being here, I can just go home."

"Oh no you won't." Someone said from behind me and Andre leaned forward in her seat with a confused expression. I turned around and was not surprised to see the red-head that had been bugging me about the first lacrosse game ever since she woke up which was at 7 o'clock this morning. "Hi, Tessa's sister."

"It's Andre." My sister replied back casually, smiling and giving a small wave of her hand. Lydia waved back with a picture perfect smile, leaning on her side to see inside the car. I was aware that they'd never actually meant I had intended to keep it that way.

"Well, Andre, I'm afraid I can't let Tessa go home." Lydia said with a mock grimace. She was pulling her overly nice act with my sister which was also something I had tried to avoid. My sister would essentially encourage me to hang out with the devil herself and I honestly wouldn't be able to live that way. "She _has_ to attend to the very first lacrosse game of the season."

Andre chuckled softly and I spun around to look at her, mouthing 'help me please'. She simply smiled and shrugged her shoulders. "I don't see an issue." Andre told me and my eyes widened with horror. She was going to leave me here with Lydia. "Have fun." She said with a devilish smile. I glared at her and scowled indignantly. I jumped back from the car as she skidded off, dodging kids and other cars on her way out of the parking lot. I watched her longingly as she left and then turned around slowly.

"I should be offended that you tried to skip out on something very near and dear to my heart but I'm not surprised. Social interaction isn't your strong suit." Lydia sighed, flipping her hair over her shoulders covered by a long petticoat. "Come on. I don't want to leave Allison alone to long. She might actually miss me." Lydia said with a confident smirk before spinning on her heel and strutting back to the field.

I sighed, rolling my eyes and shoving through the crowd to catch up with the girl. I was able to get beside her and climb up into the crowded bleachers. She walked me up to our spots and then left, going out onto the field. I watched her as she left and narrowed my eyes as she weaved her way onto the lacrosse field. I was confused when she approached Scott, grabbing him by the front of his lacrosse jersey. He was taller than her so she pulled him down close, muttering something into his face before tossing him away and leaving in the usual Lydia Martin style. I would have put explosions and glitter canons behind her as she left but she'd probably kill me with the canons.

"I'm surprised you made it out here. I thought you wouldn't want to come to things like these." Allison called over the loud crowd of parents and students surrounding us. Even though she was standing right next to me, Allison had to shout just so I could at least barely hear her.

"Andre stranded me here with Lydia." I called back, shrugging my shoulder helplessly and making Allison giggle. I had barely noticed that we weren't alone. When I looked down, I saw that someone was sitting down beside Allison. I recognized him from the wine colored Tahoe. It was Allison's father.

"Allison," he spoke, his voice smooth but sharp at the same time. His quartz blue eyes looked up to his daughter who turned at the sound of her name. "Please, introduce me to your friend." He ushered towards me with a bag of popcorn and I immediately became uncomfortable when his eyes settled on my soul being.

"Oh, Dad, this is Tessa Bradley." Allison said, smiling warmly and tugging me closer towards her. I awkwardly smiled, not so great at introductions with parents. I had done perfectly fine with meeting Mr. Stilinski but Mr. Stilinski didn't want to make me cry and run for the freaking hills. "Tessa, this is my father."

"It's nice to meet you, Tessa." Mr. Argent said, a somewhat friendly grin appearing on his face as he popped a piece of popcorn into his mouth. I nearly shivered at his grin and was ushered to sit down by a very excited Lydia.

"Sit, sit, the game is about to start!" She quipped, patting me on the shoulder frantically and practically shoving me into my seat. Allison took the seat beside me and we guided our undivided attention to the lacrosse field. I had a habit of locating everyone I knew on the field. I saw Scott, Danny, and Jackson all out on the field. Of course it wasn't hard to find Stiles. He was in the usual spot-the bench. I wanted to find a part in me that felt sympathetic for the boy but there wasn't anything. I was still angry.

The whistle blew and a group of players in white uniforms ran out onto the field, their section cheering as they thrusted their lacrosse sticks into the air. I was already beginning to chew on my fingernail just from seeing the size of their players. I knew our team was good but I wasn't sure how good that team was. I was surprised at how rattled and nervous I was getting for a worthless high school sport. Maybe I was actually starting to like Beacon Hills and that-that terrified me.

The boys took their spots on the field, Jackson being the one to fight for the ball. Scott was somewhere on the field along with Danny but I was more focused on who was going to get that ball first. I was praying that Jackson's shoulder would make him suck tonight. Not only would that fault our team, it would turn Lydia into a burning flame of sarcasm, insults, and, best of all, wrath. I was not up to being the one getting slapped in the head and screamed at for nothing. While they were waiting for the players to get settled, I didn't fail to realize that Mr. Stilinski and Mrs. McCall had all showed up to the game. I'd never met Mrs. McCall but I'd seen her across the street a few times with Scott. She wasn't home very often and from the scrubs she wore, she worked at the hospital.

The whistle from the ref suddenly blew and I held my breath. I released it when I saw Jackson take off with the ball while the other players scrambled. This was the first lacrosse game I'd ever been to and honestly, it made me dizzy. There were so many colors flying around in front of my eyes, it was hard to distinguish maroon from white. The team passed it back and forth to each other and I hadn't been the one to not notice that Scott McCall was wide open. He was waving his stick in the air but no one seemed to see him or rather, everyone pretended to not see him. I knew exactly who planned this and rolled my eyes in annoyance. While going through multiple white clad bodies, the ball was dropped from one of our players net. Scott, standing almost directly beside it, hurried to pick it up but was taken down, shoved off to the side by a maroon color. I recognized it as number 37, Jackson Whitmore.

"Seriously?" I breathed out in astonishment, truly in awe that Jackson had honestly done that in front of everyone. I groaned and dug my fingers into my eyes when Jackson made a shot and scored a point.

"You ready to hold up the sign?" Lydia asked Allison and I after we'd stood up to clap. Everyone was more enthusiastic than me except for Mrs. McCall and Stiles who I both saw with hopeful yet saddened looks on their faces. Jackson was trying to sabotage Scott's chance at being one of the better players in this game. Allison nodded and then picked up the sign from the ground, holding it up in the air with loud cheers. I opted to shoving my hands in my pockets and letting out small cheers in the crowd. I hadn't even noticed that the sign said, "We Luv U Jackson" in giant letters.

"Oh no," I muttered, my eyes widened as I looked down at the field. I collided eyes with Stiles who also had the same worried expression. I chewed on my lip and then shook my head, looking away and flopping down onto the bleachers. Allison was cheering for the guy who'd just slammed in Scott. This was not going to settle well. And it didn't. The game constantly went this way-not passing to Scott, scoring, getting the ball stolen, and letting the other team score.

After a small break, the players resumed their positions but Scott looked different this time. He was bent over at the waist, his body moving slowly as he took deep breaths in and out. I swallowed nervously, interlocking my fingers together as I put them up to my mouth. I rested my elbows on my knees and leaned forward like I usually did. Scott was mad and it wasn't just a mad that he'd get over in a few seconds. He was going to stay mad for the rest of the lacrosse game and this meant bad news-terrible news. I watched in uneasiness as the player behind him slowly backed up, obviously scared by something…Scott.

"Which one is Scott again?" Mr. Argent asked, leaning in to talk to us through the silence that had fallen over the entire crowd.

"Number 11." Lydia answered tonelessly, staring down at the field. "Otherwise known as the only one who hasn't caught a single ball this entire game."

"Maybe if your boyfriend would stop slamming into him and pass him the damn ball, we'd have more points on the scoreboard." I snapped bitterly at the red-head who glared at me malevolently. I wasn't wrong and she knew it. We were down by two-the score being three to five. We were losing and no one in our section of the bleachers liked it one bit. We couldn't lose our first game of the season because Jackson was being petty.

"Guys, don't fight right now." Allison groaned, getting antsy in her seat as she turned her focus back to the playing field. "I hope he's okay." Allison whispered into her hands, trying to warm them up in the cold.

"I hope we're okay." Lydia murmured back darkly. She was into this more than any of us. She wanted to win even more than Finstock. This wasn't just the Cyclone's battlefield, it was her's too. Her dedication to the sport should have been inspiring but it was just downright eye roll worthy according to my sarcastic, irritated brain. Lydia was determined to go back up in points even though there was one minute and twenty-nine seconds left in the fourth quarter. We could easily lose this game if we didn't figure out what the hell was wrong and kept giving the other team the points. I had an idea of what could help us win the game but Jackson wouldn't be too fond of it. They had to pass to Scott. He could make the point-dodge all the players like he had in practice. He could do this-he just needed a boost in the right direction.

"I'll be right back." I mumbled to myself and got up to stand in my seat. I was about to weave down the bleachers when a hand shot out and clasped my wrist.

"Where do you think you're going?" Lydia demanded, her look of fortitude etched into her flawless features. "You can't just leave."

"I'm leaving the field, Lydia." I told her, pulling my wrist out of her hand. "I just need to talk to someone really quick." I replied and then hurried before she could ask any more questions or keep me from going.

I hopped down the steps, accidently nudging a few people on the way. I hit the bottom of the bleachers and glanced up towards the two girls. I then looked back and continued towards the benches where Coach Finstock was standing. He was angry-his hand cupping his chin as he narrowed his eyes at the scoreboard. Going to talk to him was like asking for public humiliation but I knew I had to do this-for the lacrosse team and for Scott. I wouldn't let him be trashed in front of his girlfriend, his mom, and his girlfriend's father. He deserved to get the limelight shone on him.

I came up beside Coach who didn't even notice I was there until he began to scan the field. "What the-?" He groaned after he'd done a double take and dropped his hands to his side. "What the hell do you want?"

"I have a suggestion I'd like to make." I told him firmly, nodding my head and pressing my lips in a tight line.

"Why would I want any suggestions from you?" Coach sneered, narrowing his eyes at me and bending down closer to my face. I wrinkled my nose, his breath smelling like onions and lawn clippings. I leaned away from him and sighed, running a hand through my loose hair.

"Because remember last time you took a suggestion from me? It worked, okay? Jackson is playing tonight, right?" I asked him, planting my hands on my hips and raising my eyebrows. Coach pursed his lips and I watched as his hands curled into fists. "That's what I thought." I smirked and he rolled his eyes.

"I don't need your help. I'm doing just fine." Finstock replied with mock confidence. He tried to force it as real but that wasn't flying passed me at all. He turned away and then glowered at the score board.

"Fine as in your team is down two points and we look like chicken with their heads chopped off?" I asked, cocking my head and looking up in the same direction Coach was. I heard him lightly growl beside me and knew I had gotten to him.

"What? What do you think could possibly help us right now?" Coach asked, throwing his hands up and attracting the attention of a few people. There was one certain player that turned on the bench when the man raised his voice and I tried to ignore the amber brown eyes that were watching me with curiosity.

"Jackson isn't passing the ball to Scott." I told him bluntly, crossing my arms over my chest and giving the coach a disapproving look. "And I think that's why we're down and other team is stomping us."

"We are not getting stomped." Finstock argued in a voice that I would have taken as a mocking tone of mine. "We're down by two shot."

"We made our other shots last quarter and in case you haven't noticed, we're almost running out of time in our last and haven't even been remotely close to getting a shot in." I shot back, shaking my head and using one quick hand to gesture towards the field. "If Jackson passed to Scott, Scott could run through the players like he does every single practice and make thousands of more shots than the team combined. Usually I'm not one to single players out, but we are on the brink of losing our very first lacrosse game and I don't know about you, but I don't like the sound of that."

Coach was silent after my speech, glaring down at me with such fury-it was like he was trying to set me on fire. Before he could respond, the whistle blew and that meant the clock was about to start again. Another whistle blew after the ref had called out the starting words and I was surprised to see the ball fly up into the air. I watched it as it soared up higher than the bleachers and began to fall back down carelessly. I thought it was going to land on the ground when suddenly a maroon colored jersey was soaring through the air, much higher than the average person. I looked at the jersey number when their feet hit the ground and a grin spread across my face, almost hurting my cheeks. I knew it. This was going to be our comeback if something like this happened again.

Scott was soaring down the field. He dodged every player that tried to stop him and I was clapping along with him as he did so. I could see Lydia practically fidgeting like Stiles behind me but I didn't care. I was so right. I had been right this entire time and while the boy disappointed me in other school related subjects, he never let me down during lacrosse. This sport was his strong suit and there had to be someone who believed him besides Stiles. I had secretly designated myself as that person. Scott launched the ball and it landed swiftly in the net, the entire crowd erupting into cheers including myself. I was already on my feet and was jumping when he made the point. I hadn't even realized that I had moved forward while watching Scott go. I didn't even notice Stiles was beside me until we were cheering together.

"McCall!" Coach shouted from the sidelines towards the players on the field. "Pass to McCall!" This heightened my cheering factor more and thrusted my fists up in the air, kicking one foot up. I looked towards Stiles and for some insane reason, we high fived while still cheering like crazy people. I didn't even care about this. I cared about the simple fact that maybe we weren't going to be complete abominations.

When the next round was set off, the white team got the ball but it didn't stay that way for long. In the way of the white clad player, was Scott McCall? I watched in complete and utter astonishment as the player froze up and then passed the ball to McCall. My jaw dropped and I went speechless.

"Did the opposing team just deliberately pass us the ball?" Coach asked, coming up beside me and Stiles who had sat down again. He was chewing on the end of his glove and I made a face of disgust. That could not be sanitary.

Stiles nodded and took the glove out of his mouth to answer. "Yes, I do believe so, coach." Stiles replied, his legs shaking frantically from the amount of adrenaline he had just been slammed with from the excitement of seeing his best friend score a goal. I smiled to myself and then looked back up at the field. Scott was repeating his earlier action, ducking passed the players and make the crowd go wild. Scott threw the ball and once again, he amazed me.

The ball went right through player's net.

* * *

 **AN: This chapter was much, much, longer than the other's and I'm very happy with it! I lowkey like writing the lacrosse scenes ;) and can't wait to keep writing them! I also loved the hospital scene and that's kind of where we got to see a really sassy and also somewhat sentimental Tessa. It's a new look for her, honest. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter!**

 **As always, please leave reviews! I love them so, so, so much!**


	6. Chapter 6

I should have be angry-infuriated that Stiles had gotten my phone number but it was unavoidable. Obviously it was important enough for him to go through so much just to get my number and when his number came up on my phone early Monday morning, I was more than not willing to answer. It wasn't until the ringing stopped for a few seconds and it started up again that I decided Stiles wasn't going to leave me alone until I answered. I reached over and looked at the clock, groaning when I saw that it was almost 6:15 and then answered the phone.

"This better be freaking important because you just deprived me of almost thirty more minutes of sleeping." I said bitterly, making sure to make my voice sound tired. "And let's not forget you're still not on my good list."

 _"I know, I know."_ Stiles sighed and I could imagine him rubbing his forehead. _"But it's about Derek and the body."_

"What about it?" I asked, sitting up in my bed and running my hands through my tangled hair. "He's guilty. He went to jail. Yay no one else dies."

 _"Tessa, when they were examining the body, they found something on it."_ Stiles murmured softly over the line and I frowned, shifting up so I rested against the headboard.

"What? Did they find his fingerprints?" I inquired and I raised my own eyebrow, staring forward at my bedroom door that held my mirror. I looked like a mess. I had tossed, turned, and practically flailed all night in bed. I barely got a few hours of sleep. I was still thinking about Derek and the way he had looked at me when he was behind Scott's house. I was still terrified that it could have been me running through those woods. I could have been the one who got chopped in half.

 _"They found traces of animal hair."_ Stiles replied and I stiffened, my hand tightening around the phone. _"They ruled it as an animal attack. Derek isn't guilty and he was let out of jail just last night."_

I was silent for a few moments before I exhaled deeply. "Well that's just great." I droned out sarcastically, staring down into my lap. "What does this mean for you and Scott? Are you in trouble or anything?"

 _"No. At least I don't think we are."_ Stiles answered his voice slightly shaky as he did so. _"I know that Derek probably won't be very happy with us."_

"He's the one who had a buried dead body on his property. He can't blame you guys for thinking he killed her." I argued calmly, shaking my head and then getting up out of my bed. "Trust me I would have done the same thing."

 _"You're right."_ Stiles replied and then a small laugh came from the other side. _"I actually never thought I would say that."_

"I knew it'd eventually happen." I told him, shrugging my shoulder as I wandered over to my closet. "I'm always right."

 _"Yeah, that's not true."_ Stiles shot back and frowned, pausing as I sifted through shirts inside my closet.

"Okay, tell me when I wasn't right? Let's take…Saturday night for example." I bounced on my toes, perching the phone between my ear and shoulder. "I told Finstock I thought we were losing because no one was giving the ball to Scott. Next thing you know, the kid finally gets the ball and we have a victory." I explained in a monotone voice. "I told Finstock Jackson was hurt and needed to see a doctor, turns out he really is hurt and he has a separated shoulder."

 _"Do you just always prove Finstock wrong?"_ Stiles said in a high-pitched voice and I whipped out an aqua t-shirt with black trees across the front. I grabbed a black Nike sweatshirt, knowing it would be cold outside, and then hurried out to my dresser to pick out bottoms after snatching a pair of gray and aqua shoes.

"Finstock is usually always wrong. I'm just in the right place at the right time to be right." I replied and there was a small silence from Stiles.

 _"Sorry, I just had to stop and figure out how that made sense."_ Stiles mumbled to himself and I inhaled sharply. _"And yes I know. If it makes sense to you, you don't have to explain yourself to me."_

I smiled proudly to myself. "Hm, I think I'm taking you for granted here, Stilinski." I told him as I tossed my clothes onto my bed. "But I'm still mad at you just so we're clear."

 _"Of course you're still mad."_ Stiles exhaled deeply and I could see him slamming his forehead onto whatever hard surface was around him. _"I get it but I, Stiles freaking Stilinski, will figure out how to not make you mad at me!"_

"Oh, Stiles, do you have a soft spot for me?" I said sarcastically, pouting my lips and sitting down beside my clothes.

 _"No, I do not have a soft spot for you."_ Stiles snapped back and I silently laughed to myself. _"You are just really,_ really _mean when you're mad at someone."_

"I guess this is a lesson learned then. Don't piss me off and I won't turn into Godzilla during that time of the month." I told him and I could practically hear his jaw dropping open in confusion. I'd seen it happen so many times, I wouldn't be surprised if he looked like a lost puppy right now.

" _I don't understand how Lydia and Allison can possibly stand you."_ Stiles muttered over the line and I rolled my eyes, looking out my window. " _You're undeniably, irrevocably-"_

"-gorgeous, loving, adventurous?" I finished off for him, smiling and making myself have more femininity than I had.

 _"I was going to say annoying, ballistic, and horrifying."_ Stiles drawled back tonelessly _. "I thought you were smart enough to know that none of those words fall into the category when one thinks of Tessa Bradley."_

"You know, it sounds more badass if someone says it out loud." I told him and he groaned loudly, making me pull the phone away from my ear.

 _"Can you for a second be insulted by my well thought over insults?"_ He whined and I laughed aloud, shaking my head and grinning to myself. _"That would be physically and mentally impossible, huh?"_

"Oh I couldn't stand two seconds of it." I replied back, drawing out my laugh until it faded away entirely. "I hate hearing you whine but it brings me so much more joy to see you in pain then to be around your physical being."

 _"Wow that is almost the nicest thing you have ever said to me. It's almost nice because it still makes me cringe and then have second thoughts about my worth of living on this planet."_ Stiles replied and I once again rolled my eyes.

"It's not my fault I'm just so fun and normal to be around." I told him, picking at a loose thread on my blanket.

" _Fu-you must have hopelessly lost your mind_." Stiles mumbled and I frowned only slightly, a small crease coming in between my brow and forehead. _"You are not normal. You're practically a walking imagery of eccentric."_

"Oh how nice of you, Stiles." I said bitterly, shooting a fiery smile to the empty room in front of me. "I'm just gonna pretend you just told me I'm unique."

 _"I can't even believe I've been talking to you this long."_ Stiles grumbled. _"I-I could be doing so many more_ productive _things than-than THIS!"_ I could almost feel his spit coming through the phone and I frowned distastefully.

"Then why didn't you just say bye after you told me about Derek? This conversation has gotten way off topic if you asked me, Stilinski." I breathed out into the phone stressfully.

 _"Oh my God, I'm gonna hang up now! It's bad enough that I have to see you like,"_ -He paused, probably looking at the clock _-"in less than an hour."_

"Fine. Hang up."

 _"I will."_

"You are."

 _"I so am."_

"You're still talking to me." I chimed in a sing-song voice.

 _"Ugh!"_ Suddenly, the line went dead and I paused, literally surprised that he had the balls to hang up on me. I looked down at the phone and saw his number blinking on my phone before it faded away back to my home screen.

By the time we had finished talking, it was almost 6:45 which meant I had a maximum of fifteen minutes to leave here with Andre. She had early classes this morning and I wouldn't ask either of the girl's for rides. I'd just suck it up and show up to school earlier than usual. I was still wondering how the hell I thought it was a good idea to spend extra time at the place I dreaded every morning but I had to stick with my plan now. I was slowly adapting to school and my schedule. I had planned in the beginning to be-wake up, go to school, come home, do homework, eat, and then go to bed. Instead, I had Lydia dragging me off to all these parties and school functions. She was a massive, ugly, arrogant kink in my plans.

I got dressed and brushed through my hair. I threw it into one of my classic ponytail braids and then applied some makeup before rushing downstairs with only a few minutes to spare. I was cursing Stiles and his stupid little voice. He was the reason I was only getting a chugged glass of milk and orange for breakfast. I was going to be starving by chem and I would eat him first if I decided to become cannibalistic. Then I would eat Jackson. Then I'd maybe eat Lydia. And then I'd eat Mr. Harris. I was honestly beginning to creep myself out by trying to decide who I would eat first. It terrified me yet confused me at the same time. Where the hell did I come up with this stuff?

"You look like your morning is going swimmingly." Andre said to me as she slung her backpack over her shoulder and gave me a coy smile.

"I was glad I picked out my clothes from the closet while Stiles gabbed in my ear about how I wasn't right about everything." I grumbled, sliding my own backpack straps over my shoulders and giving a kick to the kitchen floor.

"You were on the phone with Stiles at six o'clock in the morning? I'm surprised you aren't transformed into some angry lizard monster." Andre muttered, giving me a sideways glace that I took for fear and then turned to walk out of the kitchen.

"If you keep it up, Tessa's not gonna be here anymore." I growled lowly.

"And that's my que to shut the hell up and go start the car." Andre murmured out wearily and bobbed her eyebrows, hurrying out of the room as I glared at her sinisterly.

I wasn't sure why but the whole thing with Derek still bugged me. An animal had mauled an innocent girl and ripped in into two different halves. It was terrifying and it was odd that it had happened the night before school. A car had swerved in the middle of the road and then, just to top it all off, someone had been standing in the middle of the road. Just because Derek was guilty didn't meant I wasn't still alarmed by his existence. Only looking at him made you nervous and want to scream. I had watched him get shoved into a police car after he'd stared at me weirdly behind Scott's house. Also, Scott had gotten more freaked out when I told him and then proceeded to ask me what else I saw which meant Scott wasn't surprised Derek was there-he was surprised that I had seen him. He was worried about whatever else had happened in that time period. It was beginning to be just more than suspicious.

I stumbled out the front door, catching myself on the railing as the bright, early morning sun blinded me across the face. I lifted a hand up to shield myself and then continued on to the Range Rover in which Andre was already inside. I silently climbed into the passenger seat and we backed out of the driveway, taking off down the empty streets. I let my eyes fall shut and I sighed softly, leaning my head back in my seat. My ears focused on the soft music playing through the speakers and I allowed myself to relax into the calmness of the car ride to school. Andre obviously noticed that I wasn't in the mood to talk on the way to school and stayed quiet herself. It wasn't long enough until I felt the familiar bump of the speed bumps in our school parking lot. I blinked open my eyes and looked out the window. There were a few kids sitting inside their cars but no one was outside. I clambered out of the Rover and then ventured on to see if I could possibly get inside the school.

I shoved my hands inside the pocket of my jacket and tried to ignore the dead silence surrounding the school property. I trailed the length of the school and then came around the corner with my head down. I hurried across the concrete when suddenly a strong scent wafted into my nose and there was a liquid beneath my sneaker. I paused, frowning and staring down at the ground. Slowly, I lifted up my head and my eyes widened in terror, the scream that should have left my throat falling short. I backed away quickly, slamming into the wall of the school. I had walked around to where the buses were parked and I had not ever expected something like this. The back door of the bus was hanging by its hinges, swaying slightly in the wind that blew through. Blood coated almost every vacant spot on the back of the yellow vehicle and inside, the scene was gruesome. The seats were ripped from the floor and thrown back into the front of the bus. Other seats were clawed at and covered in blood and it looked like a murder extract. The smell in the air was the crimson liquid coating the ground beneath it and I realized that my shoes had a faint splash of blood.

Quickly, I shoved my hands into the pocket of my sweatshirt and I whipped out my phone. I clicked on the screen and my shaky hands fumbled to dial 9-1-1. As soon as I hit the call button, I slammed the phone to my ear. I couldn't stare at the bus any longer and shut my eyes, shrinking down slightly on the wall behind me.

 _"9-1-1, what's your emergency?"_ the operator answered and I struggled to find my voice.

"I-I'm at B-Beacon Hills High School!" I practically cried into the phone, holding back frightened tears that threatened to fall. "And there's-there's been"-I pressed my hand to my forehead in frustration, trying to find the right words, "There's a bus and-and it's parked beside my school and there's lots of blood and the back door is torn off!"

 _"Okay, mam, I need you to calm down. We're already sending police on their way."_ The operator informed me and I nodded silently. _"Can you stay on the line with me? Is anyone else with you?"_

"No. I mean, there are a few kids in the parking lot but I don't think anyone has seen the bus." I answered, trying not to scream anymore. I felt my stomach churning and I knew I was slowly getting sick. I spun around and pressed my heated forehead to the cold school bricks.

 _"We haven't gotten any calls about a trashed bus."_ She replied and I could hear the clicking of keys in the background on the line. _"Are you injured in any way?"_

"No, mam." I replied back, the cold wall giving me a sort of relief. _"I just walked up, saw the bus, and then called the police."_

I suddenly heard police sirens and I lifted up my head, snapping in the direction of the noise. _"The police have arrived."_ The woman told me. " _You did a good job. I'm gonna hang up now, okay?"_

"Okay." I breathed out and the line went dead. I ripped the phone away from my ear as soon as the cars turned into the parking lot.

One car skidded to a stop, pulling up right beside the school. The driver's door opened and I felt a wave of instant relief wash over me. I should have felt relief from any other officer but for some reason, this certain man gave me a feeling that made me feel safe.

"Tessa?" Mr. Stilinski murmured as he climbed up out of the car and saw me standing alone by the building. He looked over his shoulder and then towards me. "You're the one who called?"  
"Y-yes sir." I answered, nodding my head and blinking frantically as I resisted looking at the bus once more. I saw him swallow thickly before shutting his door.

"We need the investigative unit out here. Dispatch them." Mr. Stilinski ordered to his partner who was gawking up at the scene. "I'll deal with the witness."

"Yes, sheriff." The woman replied and then started to speak into her radio, walking away to deal with the rest of the officers who had arrived on the scene.

Mr. Stilinski made sure his partner was doing her job before walking over to me quickly and a slightly worried expression falling over his features. I met him halfway, keeping my eyes averted from the bus. "Would you feel more comfortable speaking somewhere else?" He asked softly, ducking his head down slightly to try and look in my eyes. I lifted my eyes up for him and I slowly shook my head.

"No…I'm fine." I mumbled back, trying to force a smile but it shook and then fell, making my eyes flutter shut. "I-I just..."

"I know." Mr. Stilinski replied in almost a whisper. "It's not easy to see something like this."

"It-it had to be an animal." I said, opening my eyes and sucking in a deep breath. "There's, uh, claw marks on the back of the seats."

"Don't worry. We'll get the detectives out here." Mr. Stilinski said and I licked my lips, shoving my hands inside my pockets. "I wouldn't be surprised if it was an animal attack, honestly." I lifted up my eyes to look at him with a confused expression. "I heard Stiles talking on the phone with you this morning. He told you about how they ruled the murder of the jogger as an animal attack as well."

"So, it wouldn't actually surprise you that an animal would kill?" I asked, cocking up an eyebrow and slowly adjusting to the situation.

"Unfortunately. It happened once and we never caught the animal that did it before. It could possibly be the same one." Mr. Stilinski said and I pressed my lips together slightly, shifting my stance.

"But-but it made sense for a girl to get killed in the woods." I told him, kicking my sneaker into the ground. "It doesn't make sense for an animal to come so far into town to kill someone in a bus at a high school."

"A lot of things don't make sense right now, Tessa." Mr. Stilinski murmured, running his hands through his short hair. "But that isn't something you should be worrying about. I'm sure you have more important things to worry about."

"Not to go against you, Mr. Stilinski but I can't exactly focus on other things after I'd witnessed one of the bloodiest crime scenes ever." I hissed but not angrily enough to make Mr. Stilinski agitated. I had more respect for him than other adults.

"I'm sure you and Stiles are gonna be on the same boat today." He groaned, scratching his forehead and squeezing his eyes shut. "And I'll probably have to deal with the both of you."

I grimaced slightly at the stressful tone Mr. Stilinski was using. "I'm afraid so. I'm not sure I'm familiar with anyone else at the department."

"Of course I'm the lucky one." He sighed, shaking his head once again and I bit down on my bottom lip to keep from smirking devilishly like I usually did with his son.

"I mean you are very lucky to be dealing with two very…special children." I told him confidently, nodding my head slowly. He placed his hands on his hips and cocked his head to the side, giving me a disbelieving look. "Oh come on," I groaned, throwing my head back and looking up towards the sky, "You aren't the slightest bit grateful we are part of your life?"

"I'm glad my son is part of my life, of course." Mr. Stilinski answered and I narrowed my eyes carefully. "You've just started to become a pain in my ass."

I paused for a moment before letting an amused smile fall on my lips. "I'm always happy to be of service to you."

Mr. Stilinski rolled his eyes and then shifted his stance. "I would tell you to get the hell out of here but you're our only witness and you are required to be here until the school bell rings."

"What? I have to stay here that long?" I squeaked, throwing my hands up and letting my jaw hang open in irritation.

"I'm sorry, Tessa. I would love to let you go, believe me, but its protocol." He explained and I whined, rolling my eyes irritably.

"Great. I should have just paid extra to have this morning get even longer." I mumbled, looking down at the ground and kicking my toe into the ground. "Look, it's so simple you might actually like your job right now." I informed him as he gave me an exasperated look. "I got here. I see the bus. I feel like throwing up. I call the police." I gestured in the air, slamming my hand down at the end of each sentence. "What more could you possibly want from me?"

"You have to give me all that in detail."

* * *

I trudged into the school, my voice scratched and croaked from talking and shouting for so long. I still had a bit of an adrenaline rush from everything and was twitching uncontrollably as I began to weave through crowds of people. My eyes scanned every face, looking for one or maybe two in particular. They were inseparable so I knew that if I possibly got one, I'd also get two somewhere later. I figured they should be easier to find but my brain was almost making it physically impossible. I was about to give up when suddenly down the hallway, I heard a loud shout of anger. My eyebrows shot up to my hairline and I scurried, shoving through slower kids.

I came out into a clearing and found one of the two kids I had been searching for. Scott McCall had smashed a locker with his bare fist and hadn't even realized some kids had stopped to stare at him. I quickly searched for the other half and saw Stiles standing not too far away. I was slightly afraid to move-my tensions to still running high from the scene I'd had to see this morning. I hated how I felt scared around everything. If someone moved too fast with my knowing or someone dropped something, I was jumping and flinching away from them. Hearing Scott yell and seeing the damage he had done to the locker made me frightened by him. I was stiff, my hands tightening around my backpack as I stared with wide eyes at Scott. Other girls were walking around him and he lifted his head up, noticing just exactly what he had done. He backed up, his face terrified and confused. He turned to walk the other way when he was suddenly facing me.

"Scott," I gasped out, my voice barely high enough for me to hear it.

"Have-have you seen Allison?" He asked anxiously, stepping closer towards me and I shuffled backwards instinctively. Scott's brows knitted together and he looked me up and down. "W-why did you do that?"

I swallowed thickly and shot a nervous glance over to Stiles over Scott's shoulder. "I-I don't know what you're talking about." I replied back, shaking my head and shrugging my shoulders. I tried to relax. This was Scott I was standing with right now. I had to believe that nothing would go wrong. Nothing could go wrong.

"You…moved away from me." He said, shaking his head and then looking me in the eyes. "Did I…scare you?"

"No!" I said way too quickly and way too loudly. "No," I repeated quietly and letting a calm smile settle onto my face. "I just wasn't sure if you needed some space. You seem, uh, agitated."

Scott was quiet for a few moments and he stared blankly before frowning slightly. He once again shook his head. "It's nothing." He growled and then stormed off around the corner. I waited until I could hear his footsteps fade away before I let out a long sigh of relief. I slapped a hand up against the wall to keep from falling over and had barely even realized that I had hardly taken a breath during the encounter with Scott. I shouldn't have been afraid but I was terrified of anything violent or unexpected. I had never seen something like the bus before. Everything was new and, in a way, broadening my horizon on just what kinds of things happened here in the small town of Beacon Hills.

I lifted up my head from the position I had put it in just a few seconds later. Stiles hadn't moved from his spot and was staring at me with a mix of curiosity and worry. I hated the way he was looking at me as if I had just had a mental breakdown in the middle of the hallway. It was the way everyone looked at me after my dad died and my mom left. I wanted to talk to Stiles about the bus but at this point, I just wanted to run in the other direction. I knew how the beginning of our conversation would go and I could snap at Stiles easily. I'd never get to talk to him if that happened but I had no other choice now. I dropped my hand down from the wall and then rushed through the crowd of people who were looking at the damaged locker which just happened to be Jackson's. I bypassed him easily and then stopped right in front of Stiles.

"Stiles, there is something we need to talk about." I murmured, not making eye contact with him and timidly shifting on my toes. I flexed my fingers around the backpack straps and flinched when they cracked. I had been gripping the straps so tightly, my knuckles were a ghostly white and my joints were sore.

"Yeah like why you just acted as if Scott were trying to hurt you." Stiles replied back in the same voice, ducking his head so he didn't have to speak any louder. "What's going on? You've been acting weird ever since you got here."

"I know you saw the bus." I ignored Stiles's question and decided to look him straight in the eye.

"Sure, yeah, Scott and I both did." Stiles answered nodding and putting his thumbs underneath his own backpack straps.

"Did you, uh, talk to your dad about it?" I asked, rubbing the back of my neck and beginning to slowly make my way towards English with Stiles beside me. "I mean, did he mention anything really to you about it?"

"No, not really." Stiles responded, shaking his head and then blinking rapidly for a second. "Tessa, what's going on?" He asked again and I pressed my lips together tightly, gritting my teeth, and staring straight forward.

"Andre had early classes this morning." I began, scanning my eyes over the kids who were quietly gossiping about the buses. "So…I had to come to school early." I looked up towards Stiles and I could tell from his facial expression, he understood. He knew that I hadn't just seen the bus myself-I had seen it before anyone. "I had to call the police, Stiles."

"Oh my-…" Stiles trailed off, rubbing his forehead and turning his eyes towards his sneakers. "No wonder you're on edge this morning."

"I-I've never seen anything like that before." I breathed out, a small piece of hair falling down in front of my face. "There was so much blood and you could-you could smell it in the air. I stepped-I stepped in a small patch of it on the ground and then your dad he-he kept saying it was probably an animal attack and…" I stopped, afraid to say the next sentence. Stiles would think I was crazy or try to convince me that I was just over-reacting.

"And what?" Stiles asked softly, knitting his brows together and slowing to a stop. He turned on his heel and stepped in front of me as I chewed on my lip nervously.

"I don't think just a mountain lion or something would do this." I answered carefully, my voice coming out in a single breath. I held another breath in my chest, waiting for his answer. I watched his eyes and I could see them swimming with different emotions-worry, panic, sorrow-, making me look away. "I know it sounds like I'm trying to make this into something it probably isn't but I just can't shake the fact that if they rule this as an animal attack, they're saying it came all the way into town, came to the high school, and got inside one bus and killed someone."

"You're right." Stiles said and I barely heard the words leave his lips. I hadn't been expecting them and I swiftly lifted my head to look at him.

"What?" I exhaled out, my shoulders sagging and my hands falling from my backpack. "You-you agree with me?"

"Any person with a decent brain should." Stiles replied, shrugging his shoulder. "Don't you make a sarcastic comment about how I don't have a decent brain, okay? It is totally inappropriate."

I repressed a smile but my dimples appeared on my cheeks as I desperately held back one of my retorts. "Noted." I said, nodding my head and pointing at him. "Besides the fact that a bus was demolished this morning, what's the deal with Scott? He seemed pretty…distracted this morning."

Stiles didn't get a chance to answer. He was interrupted by a radio voice coming through the speakers throughout our school. "Attention students, this is your principal." Stiles and I looked up, the entire school pausing. "I know you're all wondering about the incident that occurred last night to one of our buses. While the police work to determine what happened, classes will proceed as scheduled." There was a series of unamused groans from the student body, including Stiles and I.

So the morning proceeded as usual. I tried not to stay distracted and focused on classwork. I hadn't talked to Lydia much this morning but Allison had greeted me at my locker after the first class. Scott had calmed down and everyone seemed to be forgetting about the bus, including myself. I was sitting in chemistry like usual. My partner was silent, her head down in her lap. I learned her name was Erica Reyes a few days after we were assigned seats and we'd only exchanged a hello once. She was shy, not much of a talker, and seemed to be a schoolwide laugh maker. She was epileptic and I had seen the video a couple of jocks had taken of her having a seizure. Of course, being the classy woman I am, stomped over to the jackasses, snatched the phones out of their hand, and then tossed it into the lunchroom trashcan which happened to be filled with sloppy joe. If no one else would do it, I would always be happy to.

"Mr. Stilinski, if that's your idea of a hushed whisper, you might want to pull the headphones out every once and a while." Mr. Harris said, making me look up from the worksheet he had given to us. I hadn't even noticed that Scott and Stiles had been talking from just a few tables away from me. Stiles was smiling like an idiot and Scott turned in his seat with a red face. "I think you and Mr. McCall would benefit from a little distance, yes?" Mr. Harris continued, placing his hands on his hips and giving the boys a stern look. I pressed my lips tightly together to avoid a burst of laughter and pressed my fist to my mouth, my knuckles digging into my lips against my teeth.

"No." Stiles answered as if this question had an obvious answer. He had stopped smiling and I shook my head slightly, rolling my eyes secretly. He pointed to Scott and gestured for him to move.

"Mr. McCall, please trade seats with,"-Mr. Harris paused, his eyes scanning the room. His eyes fell on me and I thought he was going to make me move until his eyes drifted over to Erica. A small smile tugged at the corners of his lips when he saw me cringe, my eyes shutting as I bit down on my hand. Of course he would do this to me. "Please trade seats with Ms. Reyes."

The boys began to pack up their things and Erica stood up from her seat, a long sigh coming from her lips as she began to shuffle away from me. I wanted to beg her to stay and beg Mr. Harris to not sit Scott beside me but my fate was already decided. "Let me know if the separation anxiety gets to be too much." Mr. Harris informed the boys and Stiles scoffed, trudging over to his seat on the other side of the whole room.

Scott quietly placed his stuff down beside me and then placed himself in the stool. I gave him a sideways glance before shifting slightly and continuing my work. "Are you still…angry about what happened this morning?" He asked me in a whisper, tipping his head down and doing his work. I debated on answering and not answering but I shrugged.

"I was never mad." I whispered back, finishing the writing part of the worksheet and flipping it over. "I was just on edge."

"Yeah, Stiles told me you were the one to call the police about the bus." Scott replied and I paused, narrowing my eyes and looking towards him. When he noticed I'd stopped doing my work, he slowly turned to look towards me. "Okay, I know that look. Now you're mad." He muttered, his eyes widening with slight alarm.

"I shouldn't because I know you two idiots tell each other everything." I bit out, rolling my eyes and shaking my head. I slammed my pencil back down onto the paper, breaking off the sharp tip. "But yes, I did call. And yes, I was completely put off."

"I didn't mean to scare you this morning." Scott murmured, scratching the side of his neck nervously and shifting his eyes back to his paper.

"I don't really care anymore. I was just being a little baby about the bus." I grumbled, clutching onto my pencil tightly. "It doesn't matter anyways. I should be apologizing to you."

Scott was quiet for a few seconds. "Why?" He asked calmly and I looked over at him. I licked my lips and then bit off a piece of dry skin.

"I made you think I was afraid of you. And I'm sorry." I told him honestly and before he could reply, a girl, Harley, interrupted the class.

"Hey, I think they found something!" She exclaimed, getting up from her seat and rushing over to the window. I looked over at Scott with a worried expression and we both shot up from our seats. Stiles came beside us and we got to the front of the crowd.

I looked out the window and saw that farther back in the parking lot, there was an ambulance with the backdoors opened. Paramedics were wheeling a gurney towards the car and my eyes widened. They turned the gurney to put the man inside the ambulance and suddenly, the man shot up from the gurney. There was a loud, terrified, and painful scream coming from his bloodied lips and I shot backwards, bumping into someone. Everyone screamed and jumped backwards and someone's hands shot out to balance themselves on my shoulders. I looked over my shoulders and saw Stiles. I gave him a both terrified and panicked expression. I had almost gotten over this and suddenly, I felt like crying and curling into a small ball.

"Stiles," I whispered in a cracked tone and before anything else could happen, I wrapped my arms around his body. I never thought I would want or be even close to hugging Stiles Stilinski. He was an idiot-a sarcastic little ball of matter. I had wanted nothing to do with him last weekend but now? I was currently resting in his arms. He had one hand raised in the air and slowly, he brought it down to rest on the top of my head as I let out deep breaths. I was too terrified to even care that I was completely knocking down the guard I had so desperately fought to keep up. I wouldn't cry-I would never cry unless it was something completely worth crying for. But for right now, I would just let myself relax into Stiles. He was the only anchor I had.

* * *

 **AN: Finally, I did a nice Stiles and Tessa scene! It was sort of unexpected but there's just so much weighing on her chest that she just needed a hug form a certain boy ;) I actually love writing them together and things are starting to get interesting in the story! I hope you guys liked this chapter and I sort of gave up in the middle so if there are mistakes, oops...**

 **As always, please, please, PLEASE, leave reviews!**

 **Love you guys!**


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: There may be a few errors here and there. I had to post this really late and am wayyy to tired to read through the entire thing and check for mistakes. I hope some of them aren't insanely idiotic.**

* * *

People had been lightly gossiping about the bus-creating theories on what could have happened, if someone had died, or if the animal was still in town-but as soon as the word got leaked that the chemistry class saw a guy covered in blood and cuts shoot up from the gurney, it was all anyone was talking about. I wanted to clamp my hands over my ears and dig my nails into the side of my head. I was tired of hearing the stupid fantasies the kids made up about the bus. I had tried to evade every conversation around me that brought up the story but was unsuccessful more than once. I had barely spoken to anyone besides Allison, Stiles, and Scott but I knew Lydia would get her hands on me at lunch. We hadn't spoken almost all day and it was sort of odd. I was used to her dragging me wherever she wanted to go but today, she'd left me alone. I wasn't complaining but I was confused. She was giving me some sort of space.

As soon as I stepped into the lunch room, a perfectly manicured hand wrapped around my wrist and ripped me over to the lunch line. We skidded into line and I blinked a few times, trying to shake off the whiplash Lydia had just given me. She was in front of me and she handed me a red tray from the top of the stack. I gave her a sideways glance, obviously wanting to know why she was staying almost completely silent towards me.

"In case you haven't noticed, you've been the new gossip here at Beacon Hills High School." Lydia said flatly as we began to scoot down the line. I furrowed my brow and turned my head to look at her.

"W-what do you mean?" I asked, chuckling breathlessly and shaking my head. Lydia paused for a moment, deciding what fruit she wanted on her tray before grabbing an apple and sighing calmly.

"Everyone knows, Tessa." She replied back and I was about to repeat my question when she pressed her lips tightly together. "You were the first one to see the bus."

I cringed, gripping the sides of my tray tighter. Of course everyone knew that. I wasn't sure how but maybe telling Stiles in the middle of a crowded hallway was a bad idea. Plus, there had been a few kids in the parking lot this morning. They probably saw me and then went to tell their group which traveled all the way around the school. "Oh, that sounds so freaking awesome."

Lydia snorted and then eyed the slop that slapped onto the white plate on her tray. "Now you're beginning to sound like the nerds that won't stop obsessing over you." She said confidently, flipping locks of red hair over her shoulder with her hand.

"Okay, I don't think their obsessing over me, Lydia." I giggled, a small grin appearing on my face as I shook my head. "They already have to obsess over you."

"Tessa, come on, you make it sound like they are required to." Lydia clucked, rolling her eyes and giving me one of her poised smiles. "It's really just human nature."

"Ha!" I cheered, bouncing up on my toes and pointing at Lydia. She gave me a confused expression before glancing around. "I knew I was an alien." I told her with a cocky grin and she made a noise of disgust, rolling her eyes and snatching her milk before trotting to the very end of the line to pay for her lunch.

"I honestly don't know how I handle you sometimes." Lydia murmured, paying the lunch lady. "I'm not sure how you made it to the tenth grade."

"Oh, they let me skip elementary school." I replied, nodding my head slowly and holding back laughter as she glared at me venomously. "Oh come on. Quit saying things that I can make hilarious jokes out of."

"You make jokes out of everything." Lydia retorted, giving me a pointed look and I shrugged, popping a fry into my mouth.

"Sorry. It's just human nature for me." I responded and she stared at me emotionlessly before pressing her tongue to the inside of my cheek.

"You're lucky I like you." She muttered, narrowing her eyes. "I would destroy you, honey."

"Lydia, in case I haven't told you more than once, I don't care." I replied back, shaking my head and talking through a mouth filled with more fries. "You're insanely smart brain under that mound of hairspray and strawberry locks should know that." I could see the crease in her forehead grow deeper. "Or maybe it's not getting enough air with all the products you put in there."

"I am seriously going to throw my lunch at your disgusting outfit." She growled and I looked down at myself, my jaw hanging open.

"Hey! You don't hear me downgrading your eye rotting outfits." I snapped back like a child. Lydia rolled her eyes and then giggled happily.

"Because you know better." She said and shrugged her shoulder. I rolled my own eyes and then began to stomp away from her. "Sweetie, where are you going? Our table is this way?" she asked, clearing her throat and jerking her head towards the other side of the lunch room. I looked at her over my shoulder.

"I know. That's why I'm not going that way." I replied casually, going to continue walking when she rushed to stand up beside me.

"Are you going to sit with who I think you're going to sit with?" Lydia murmured darkly in my ear, staring down the table with two boys sitting by themselves.

"Depends." I answered. I pointed to one table. "Do you mean the astronomy nerds,"-I swung my finger over to another table-"the horse lovers,"-I pointed to the last table with a devilish smirk on my face-"or the two morons?"

"You know, I can't answer that. At this point, you'd be willing to sit with any table that would cause you to commit social suicide." Lydia rapidly spoke, her voice reaching a higher pitch as she finished.

"I would rather commit social suicide then sit with the jocks and braindead Barbie's for the rest of my sophomore year." I said nonchalantly, giving her a serious look and pressing my lips together.

"You are honestly unbelievable, Tessa." Lydia squeaked, using one hand to drag it down her face but of course, being Lydia, she made sure she didn't mess up her makeup. "Can't you just be normal for one day?"

"No." I answered easily. "I tried for like five minutes one time and I'm pretty sure I turned purple because I refused to breathe."

"What the-?" Lydia stopped and squeezed her eyes shut. "Never mind, I'm not going to even ask because I'm pretty sure the answer is going to be worse than the actual story you just told me."

"Let us remember that you wanted to so desperately be friends with me." I whispered, making a face and then trotting over to the table with the two morons. I heard Lydia made a noise of protest but when I kept walking, I heard her heels clicking against the floor as she hurried to catch up with me. I smirked to myself when I realized that I had officially won a battle against Lydia Martin. Of course I didn't want her here but she was now following me. I wasn't following her and I wasn't in a pissed mood. The tables had turned and honestly? It was the best thing that had happened to me all day.

Scott and Stiles were sitting across from each other while talking frantically. Scott looked more terrified than Stiles who was casually picking at his plate. They were not expecting our entrance and when I slammed my tray down beside Stiles, he let out one of the most feminine squeals ever and flung his chair away from me. He flailed his arms and I waited until he recovered to smile darkly.

"T-Tessa? What the hell?" Stiles mumbled, his eyes flickering between Lydia and I. I could practically hear his heart slamming inside his chest and I sat down slowly. Lydia took her seat on the other side of Scott and he looked at her with a confused expression. Both boys went silent and I began to slowly pick through the slop on my tray.

"We're sitting with you today." I told the boys calmly, putting another fry in mouth and looking over at Stiles who was still staring at me in shock. "Dude, your eyes are gonna dry out and fall right out of that empty noggin."

Stiles blinked, clamping his mouth shut, and he shook his head. He turned away from me and then swallowed nervously. "Why are you sitting with us?" He tried to whisper casually out of the side of his mouth and I smiled softly.

"Lydia apparently follows me wherever I go." I replied. "I didn't want to sit with her anymore but she refused to let me commit social suicide."

"Oh wow, that makes me feel super." Stiles grumbled, jabbing his hands into his own plate of fries.

"Trust me. I know you're loving this." I murmured back with the same sarcastic tone and I looked around to see that people were flocking to sit with us. Allison took the other side of Scott and Danny took the other side of Stiles across from Lydia.

"Get up." I heard someone say and I looked towards the end of the table. Jackson had arrived and was currently talking to one of the lacrosse players sitting at the end of the tale beside Lydia.

"How come you never ask Danny to get up?" the boy whined and I watched curiously, nibbling on the end of a carrot stick.

"Because I don't stare at his girlfriend's coin slot." Danny replied back immedietly, a hint of annoyance lacing his tone. The lacrosse player got up from the table, Jackson pushing in the back, and he took his seat beside his girlfriend. I shifted in my seat, glancing around at all the people who normally sat with us. Stiles, on the other hand, was fidgeting like there was no tomorrow. I rolled my eyes to myself and then nudged him with my shoulder.

"You have to act cool, dumbass. You look like you're some hyperactive three year-old." I said to Stiles, making a face.

"Sorry I can't act casual around the girl I've had a freaking crush on since the third freaking grade. Plus, I have one of Jackson's best friend sitting on the other side of me and we already hate each other." Stiles explained frantically and I quickly slammed my fist into his thigh beneath the table. It rattled his tray as he let out a quiet gasp, clutching onto the place where I had just punched him. "What was that for?" He groaned in a quiet whisper.

"Shut the hell up." I growled and he glared at me before clamping his mouth shut.

"So I hear they're saying it's some type of animal attack." Danny said aloud to the table, a small bite of apple in his mouth. "Probably a cougar."

"I heard mountain lion." Jackson interjected at the end of the table and I resisted the urge to laugh in amusement. I wondered how this kid had made it to the tenth grade…not me.

"A cougar is a mountain lion." Lydia said to Jackson as if this were the most obvious thing in the world. Jackson slowly leaned forward in his seat and Lydia quickly side glanced her boyfriend. "Isn't it, Tessa?" Lydia suddenly asked and I lifted my head up from my tray, furrowing my brow before nodding.

"Yeah, yeah, sure Lyd." I answered, smiling at her briefly before looking over at Stiles who was watching the interaction with awe. Apparently, he also knew Lydia was much, much brighter than anyone at this table but hadn't known she worked so hard to keep up her front as the dumb, popular, girlfriend.

"Who cares?" Jackson retorted back after we'd spoken and I turned my attention towards him. "The guy's probably some homeless tweaker who's gonna die anyways."

"Wow, Jackson, you're love and care for people in your community is truly gratifying." I chirped from the end of my table, placing my hand on my chest and batting my eyelashes. He sent me a sharp glare and I simply smirked in response.

"Actually, I just found out who it is." Stiles announced and I saw that he had pulled out his phone and pulled up a new article. "Check it out." I leaned over, my head nearly resting on his shoulder as I tried to see the tiny phone screen.

"The sheriff's department won't speculate on the details of the incident"-the robotic voice began, a shot of the crime scene outside appearing on the screen-"but confirmed the victim Garrison Meyers did survive the attack." Then, a picture of an older looking man popped up on the screen. He was covered in slashes or blood. He was smiling and it made me clench my teeth. "Meyers was taken to a local hospital where he remains in critical condition."

"I-I know this guy!" Scott gasped, backing up from the group that had crowded around Stiles's phone. We all looked up and turned out attention to him.

"You do?" I asked curiously, furrowing my back and sitting back in my seat.

"Yeah, when I used to take the bus back when I lived with my dad." Scott replied and I saw Stiles sit back with his jaw hanging open. "He was the driver."

"Can we talk about something slightly more fun, please?" Lydia ordered from her end of the table, obviously done talking about the bus. "Like…oh, where are we going tomorrow night?" Lydia asked, turning to the couple sitting beside her. I took a bite of my apple on my tray and shifted in my seat, watching them. When Scott and Allison looked at her with a confused expression, she elaborated. "You said you and Scott were talking about hanging out tomorrow right?"

Allison bobbed her eyebrows in recognition as Scott turned his head to look at her. Of course Lydia had to be the one to skip in on their date and probably ruin everything. I assumed Lydia would bring Jackson and I wasn't sure how well that was going to go with Jackson. "Um, we were thinking of what we were gonna do." Allison replied, gesturing between the two of them.

"Well, I am not sitting home again watching lacrosse videos, so if the four of us are hanging out, we are doing something fun." Lydia retorted, shooting a pointed look towards Jackson.

"H-h-hanging out?" Scott stuttered out softly, looking towards Allison who had a water bottle currently pressed to her lips. "Like the four of us?" Stiles placed a hand on his lips, grimacing deeply at Scott's current cluelessness. I licked my lips slowly and kept myself quiet by shoving fries into my mouth rapidly. "Do you wanna hang out like us and them?" Scott asked I knew what the answer wanted to be.

"Yeah, I guess." Allison answered innocently but I knew she wanted to say no. She wanted to have a date alone with Scott and not with Lydia and Jackson. "Sounds fun." Allison finished and I rolled my eyes.

"You know what else sounds fun?" Jackson chipped in from the end of the table. He leaned forward and grabbed a utensil from Lydia's tray. "Stabbing myself in the face with this fork."

"Oh, can I help?" I chirped from the other side of the table, leaning forward and putting my hand up. I heard Stiles choke on his orange beside me and I smirked at Jackson who once again glared at me.

Lydia snatched the fork away from him angrily and I snickered quietly. "How 'bout bowling?" Lydia gasped, looking towards her boyfriend. "You love to bowl!" I could practically hear the desperation in her voice and it honestly made me want to scream. If I were Scott, I'd be the one stabbing myself in the face right now.

"Yeah, with actual competition." Jackson replied and I couldn't help but look between Scott and Stiles. Stiles was trying to tell Scott to be a man and back out on the group date but Scott was defienently about as brave as a kitten.

"How do you know we're not competition?" Allison challenged, leaning forward with a confident grin on her face. "You can bowl, right?" She looked towards Scott whose eyes went wide. There was also a very obvious answer.

"Sort of." Scott answered shyly, looking away from Allison.

"Is it a sort of or yes?" Jackson demanded, shifting in his seat.

"Yes." Scott answered more confidently and I could see Stiles cringing and shaking his head.

"Um, Stiles," I whispered, leaning closer towards him. "Can Scott actually bowl?" I raised an eyebrow and Stiles ran his tongue over his teeth.

"I don't think he's ever hit more than two pins in his life." Stiles answered honestly and I nodded slowly, sitting back in my seat.

"In fact," Scott said, leaning forward with more determination, "I'm a great bowler." He finished and Stiles and I both clapped our hands to our faces in unison.

* * *

"Tessa, you're going to catch a fly." Lydia chimed in a sing-song voice from the driver's seat of her Beetle. "Close your mouth, honey."

I slapped my mouth shut, the sound of my teeth knocking together making Allison giggle. I had been gawking at her house ever since we turned into the neighborhood. It was almost bigger than Lydia's and that was saying a lot. It was a grand mansion that was hidden behind bright green bushes and was lit up with fancy outdoor lights. I could see through a window towards the top of the house that the ceiling was high and the cobblestone décor of the house matched with everything perfectly. I could imagine the red Tahoe parked inside the garage and see Allison's sleek black car parked beside it. There was no doubt about it in my mind. Allison was rich. She came from a wealthy family and mostly every aspect of her life beyond the schools walls showed that. Now, she wasn't the snobby rich like Jackson and, occasionally, Lydia. I didn't even guess that she might live in a beautiful house with her terrifying Dad and Mom. I hadn't met Mrs. Argent but I was almost absolutely positive she was going to be as scary as Mr. Argent.

"I see you like the house." Allison said to me softly, looking over her shoulder and smiling at me. I returned the smile and nodded.

"I really like the house." I replied back with a small chuckle and Allison grinned, turning back around in her seat. Through the weeks living here and spending much time with Allison, I had grown to like her. I had planned on not making close friends out letting people into my life but it was completely unavoidable. Allison made me feel happy and like the old girl I used to be. I liked feeling happy again. I guess that's why I agreed to come help her pick out her outfit for tonight with Lydia. Lydia…she was slowly growing on me as well but I'd never admit that to anyone.

The Beetle stopped in just before the front door and we all piled out onto the driveway. Allison waltzed over to the garage and put in the passcode, the large door erupting to life. It lifted up to reveal the garage I had imagined except I hadn't imagined a bright, glass case filled with firearms. I assumed they were for Mr. Argent's work and tried not to stare at them too long. Out of all the things that could make me uncomfortable, guns weren't my forte. There had been some community fairs in Nevada where the police station came down to the local park or something and when they offered to let kids handle even fake guns, I never touched them. I never understood why I was so scared of them but I didn't have to start liking them ever.

We entered the kitchen through the back door, Allison going in first and I being the caboose. I walked around the counter and I could see Allison searching for her parents and when she thought they weren't around, she quickly tried to go up the stairs. Lydia and I followed her with an exchange of confused expressions but we were stopped short of our trek upstairs.

"Allison?" a female voice called who I assumed was Mrs. Argent. Allison paused, cringing and slowly turning on her heel to look back down the steps. Lydia and I turned and I was met with a woman that instantly set me on edge. Her hair was a fiery red, eyes sharper than her husbands. She was tall and lean, dressed formally yet casually. There was a smile on her lips but there was more behind it then just the common courtesy. I tried not to make too much eye contact with her and looked up at her daughter.

"Hey Mom," Allison breathed, looking down at the floor and then back up.

"I barely heard you come in." Mrs. Argent told her, shaking her head and walking over to rest her arm on the end of the railing. I was tempted to take a step backwards but didn't move, afraid I'd do something wrong.

"Oh, well, uh," Allison scratched the back of her neck nervously. I knew what her plan had been. She was going to sneak in passed her parents so she wouldn't have to deal with them. That defienently gave us a personal look at Allison's home life. "I was trying to be quiet. I didn't want to cause any loud ruckus." I kept myself from slapping my forehead. Allison could lie easily when she really wanted to but right now? She was annoyed and probably about as scared of her mother as I was.

"I'm glad I caught you then." Mrs. Argent said and laughed, the noise sending goose bumps up my arms and shivers down my spine. "I think I've met all but one person inside this room." Slowly, the woman's gaze settled on me. I stiffened and my breath caught in my throat, my eyes barely widening as I dug my toes into the ground.

"I forgot," Allison giggled softly, walking down to stand beside me. "I don't think Tessa's ever been over here before."

"I'm afraid I've never seen her face before." Mrs. Argent replied grinning at me with her insanely white teeth. They were almost blinding and I blinked a few times, looking down at the floor with a shy smile. "I'd remember a pretty face anywhere."

"Mom, this is Tessa Bradley." Allison greeted, holding out a hand to me as if I were a trophy. I had no choice but to life my gaze back up and smile. "She is the one Dad met at the lacrosse game a couple of nights ago."

"I think he did mention something about a young girl by the name of Tessa." Mrs. Argent said and I breathlessly laughed before I could stop myself.

"I hope it was all good things." I practically murmured, nodding my head and smiling. Mrs. Argent grinned once more and laughed, nodding.

"Of course. If it weren't, I wouldn't be standing here right now." She told me and I weakly smiled back.

"And neither would I." I mumbled back and Allison nearly choked on thin air and Lydia made a small squeak.

"Okay! I think we're done here." Allison drawled out frantically, snatching my arm in a loop with her arm and beginning to drag me back up the stairs.

"But Allison, I was just getting to know her!" I whined, smirking deviously at the girl whose eyes widened at my protests.

"You can get to know her later." Lydia hissed from behind us and placed his palms flat on my back, nearly shoving me over my own feet. "Right now you're going to get us all slaughtered."

"Ouch, sounds tempting." I whispered, making a face and then smiling when Allison glared at me angrily. We made it all the way up to the landing when I dug my heels into the ground and leaned over the railing. "It was nice meeting you, Mrs. Argent!" I called loudly, waving my arm frantically. I heard the older woman chuckle and her heels began to click, coming back to where we were standing.

"Let's go." Allison growled and jerked me with such force-I was actually intimidated by her for a moment. She got me all the way into her bedroom and flung me inside, slamming the door shut.

"Allison, if you wanted me in your bedroom, all you had to do was ask." I teased her with a sarcastic smirk and she gave me a very unamused look. Lydia rolled her eyes.

"Good God," She groaned, walking passed the bed as I snickered proudly. I sat down at the edge of that bed and crossed my legs over each other.

"In case you didn't notice, I was trying to get us out of there." Allison informed me, taking a seat in her desk chair and spinning to face the direction I was in. Lydia was already digging inside Allison's closet and had her back towards us.

"Oh, I did notice." I responded, shrugging my shoulders as I leaned back on her bed, sticking my arms out behind me. "That's why I was doing that."

Allison narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. "I don't understand how I'm still friends with you."

"That's what I said yesterday." Lydia exhaled deeply from the closet, shaking her head and digging through different shirts.

"I can't help it that I'm just so irresistible." I mused, smiling in a fake daze and dropping back to lie on her bed.

"You also can't help it that you're a major pain in my ass." Allison snipped and I laughed amusedly.

"Dang, Ali." I said, shaking my head and lacing my fingers over my stomach. "I've never seen you so fierce before." I bobbed my eyebrows up and grinned.

"Certain actions make me turn to certain measures." Allison muttered and she was standing beside the bed, looking down at me with a devilish smirk.

"What?" I mumbled but before I could get a straight answer, I had a pillow slammed into my stomach with once again the force she'd used to drag me in here. It actually knocked the air out of me, making me gasp and flail on top of the bed. Allison threw her head back with a loud bark of laughter and I shot up from my horizontal position. I glared at her angrily before stomping to go take her previous seat at the desk. "And you guys wonder how you're still friends with me." I grumbled, spinning around and beginning to scan the things Allison had on her desk.

Lydia had moved away from the closet and was watching us with a small smile on her face. She stood beside me and looked down at the desk as I picked through the calendar Allison had lying in the middle of her desk. Allison had taken Lydia's spot at the closet and was going through some of her shirts. Then, the two of us went over and sat at the edge of Allison's bed towards the closet. Allison turned around with the first shirt-a brown, formfitting shirt with darker, shadowed designs over the chest.

"Mmm, pass." Lydia said, shaking her head and scrunching her nose. Allison pulled out the next shirt-an almost flannel top with different colors and sequins. "Pass." Lydia repeated again and I rolled my eyes. "Let me see." Lydia ordered, shooting up from the bed and waltzing back over to the closet. She then proceeded to repeat the same, single word over and over again as she dug through the closet. "Uh, pass on all of it." She finally said, holding up her hand. "God, Allison. Respect for your taste is, uh,"-Lydia tussled some of Allison's hair-"dwindling by the second." Lydia laughed.

"I'm surprised you had respect for anyone's taste besides your own." I retorted from my spot on the bed, shaking my head and messing with my loose locks. Lydia gave me a fake smile before returning back to her search for the perfect shirt.

"Hmm," Lydia finally said after a few seconds. I looked up to see that she'd pulled out a black, also formfitting top with sequins filling the entire shirt except for the back and the shoulders. "This." Lydia decided, prancing over to stand towards the end of the bed and showcase the shirt. I nodded in agreement and chewed on a hangnail. Allison walked over and took it from Lydia, looking at herself in the mirror.

Suddenly, the door opened and we all looked over. Mr. Argent walked in holding a green jacket in his hands. "Dad, hello?" Allison greeted, holding her hands out and furrowing her brow, shaking her head. Mr. Argent put on the jacket and he slipped one arm in with a smile before it fell short.

"Right." He mumbled to himself, pausing and then jutting a thumb to point towards the door he'd just walked through. "I'm sorry. I-I, uh, completely forgot to knock." He said, grimacing as he did so.

"Hi, Mr. Argent." Lydia greeted in a sickly sweet voice. She plopped down in front of me on her side, twirling a lock of red-hair around her finger. I rolled my eyes and quirked the corner of my mouth towards her.

"How's it going, Mr. Argent." I greeted in my own casual way, waving shortly before dropping my hand back into my lap.

"Dad, do you need something?" Allison asked calmly, brushing a strand of brown hair behind her pale ear.

"I wanted to tell you that you'll be staying in tonight." Mr. Argent answered, putting on his coat entirely. I sat up straighter with a furrowed brow.

"What? I'm going out with my friends." Allison argued, her voice just as confused as I was.

"Not when an animal is out there attacking people." Mr. Argent shot back and I pressed my lips tightly together, looking away. Of course he just had to bring that right back up. I had barely gotten any sleep last night and I was hoping to get some tonight. Obviously, Mr. Argent had just ruined those plans along with his daughter's.

"Dad, Dad, I'm—uh…"

"It's out of my hands." Mr. Argent cut her off, shaking his head. "There's a curfew. No one's allowed out passed 9:30 p.m." Allison made a face and then threw the shirt on the bed. "Hey, no more arguing." He then turned on his heel and left the room. Allison sighed and rolled her shoulders back.

"I'm really sorry, Allison." I murmured, climbing up from the bed and walking over to rest my hand on her shoulder.

"Hmph," Lydia sounded, getting up from the bed and looking towards the door. "Looks like someone's daddy's little girl." She teased, looking towards Allison and me.

Allison chewed on her thumbnail. "Sometimes." She muttered. "But not tonight." She shook her head and I raised my eyebrows to my hairline, looking at her.

"Um, uh, what,"-I laughed breathlessly-"what do you mean?" I watched in surprise as Allison waltzed over to her desk and snatched a purple knit cap of her desk. She put it over her head, staring at the door to make sure her father didn't walk in. She grabbed a pair of gloves and then walked over to her window. Lydia looked between the door in Allison with a slight cringe of worry. I chewed on my lip and then turned, walking towards the window beside Allison. She lifted up the piece of glass and then swung one leg out over the roof.

"What are you doing?" Lydia protested as Allison fully climbed out the window. We stuck half of our bodies out the window and watched the girl walk the length of the roof. Suddenly, Allison flipped in the air and fell down into the buses.

"Holy shit!" I whisper shouted, my eyes widening. Before I could pretty much stop myself, I scrambled out of the window and rushed out onto the roof. I crawled over to where she had jumped and looked down over the edge. "Allison!" I called but not loud enough for her parents to hear. She got out from the bushes and looked up at me with a grin on her face.

"Eight years of gymnastics." Allison whispered up to us and I narrowed my eyes, pressing my tongue to my cheek. "Are you coming?" She asked happily, gesturing down to her. I shook my head and climbed back up to my feet.

"I'll take the stairs, flipsy. I'd rather not break my neck." I spat back and she laughed innocently, placing her hand over her mouth. I climbed back inside the window and then slammed it shut, shaking my head. "She's gone insane."

"Says the one who climbed out after her." Lydia scoffed, shaking her head and then following me as we made our way out of Allison's bedroom.

"I thought she like fell off the roof or something." I justified, shrugging my shoulders and looking at Lydia offensively. "Sorry I was trying to see if our friend had just fallen to her freaking death."

Lydia rolled her eyes and then began to go down the stairs. "See you later, Argents." Lydia called, peeking her head inside the house and waving her hand at the parents sitting in the living room. "Allison's pretty upset. I'd leave her alone for the night." Lydia informed them and they nodded.

"Thanks Lydia. Sorry for ruining your plans, sweetie." Mrs. Argent replied, making a mock sad face. "We're just trying to protect you kids."

"I understand. There's always some time when there isn't an animal running around killing people." Lydia said and I cringed, letting my eyes fall shut for a moment.

"That's right, honey. Now make sure you get home safely, girls." Allison's mother gestured for us to head towards the front door and I wasn't waiting for a written invitation. I was ready to get out of here.

* * *

"Tessa!"

I turned around in my desk chair when I heard my name being called from the bottom of the staircase. Andre had gotten home just a few hours after Lydia dropped me off before their date. Because I was single, I wasn't actually allowed to even tag along as a third wheel but I wasn't complaining. I'd probably get sick to my stomach if I watched all the freaking couples make out and have fun with each other. I wasn't into bowling either. I thought it was pointless and hadn't played it since my dad died.

I got up from my chair and walked out of my bedroom to go down the stairs. When I got to the point where I could see the front door, I paused. "Stiles?" I asked in a highly confused tone where I cocked up an eyebrow and looked at Andre who shrugged. She then turned in the other direction into the kitchen. I watched her leave before completely going down the stairs and over to the front door. "What-what are you doing here?" I murmured, letting him inside the foyer and shutting the door.

"I—I uh needed to talk to you." Stiles replied and shoved his hands inside his pockets nervously. He glanced around and bounced on his toes. "It's about the—uh, man they found inside the bus."

"Okay…" I drawled out slowly, nodding my head and crossing my arms over my chest. "What about him?"

"He, uh, he…died." Stiles said quietly and I froze, my heart also pausing inside my chest. I felt a tremor roll through my body-through my chest into my legs.

"He's dead?" I clarified, blinking my eyes and looking away from the boy. I stared down at my sock covered feet and tried to breathe carefully. "How did-when did this happen?"

"It happened while Scott and I were at the hospital after school yesterday." Stiles answered and I snapped up my head to glare at him.

"This happened yesterday and you waited till freaking seven to tell me?" I exclaimed, dropping my hands down to my sides.

"Well, I didn't want you to sulk around school or something like that." Stiles justified, gesturing to me with one hand. "I didn't want to upset you."

"Okay, well, you upset me more than I would have been!" I argued, throwing my hands up in the air and turning to storm away from him, deeper into my house.

"Hey, don't get mad at me for this." Stiles grumbled, scrambling after me and pointing to his chest. "I was just trying to look out for you."

I opened my mouth to shout back at him but could already feel a headache coming on. I took a deep breath, rubbing my temples and shutting my eyes. "Whatever." I mumbled. "So, what exactly happened at the hospital?"

"Scott wanted to see him because, like, you know, he was his bust driver, right?" Stiles said and there was something off about what he was saying. I could see his forehead crease and he rubbed the back of his neck. He was nervous and obviously something was troubling him. "Well, we get there and suddenly, he flips out-screaming and then…he dies."

"Shit," I breathed out, moving my hands from my temples to my eyes. I covered my face and gritted my teeth. "That is…shit."

"I know." Stiles agreed, nodding his head and rubbing his forehead. "But, uh, don't let it ruin your night, alright?"

"It isn't going to ruin my night, Stiles." I grumbled back, giving him an annoyed look after moving my hands off my face. "God, I'm not that weak."

"Alright, no need to get feisty." Stiles squeaked, holding up his hands in mock surrender. "Sorry that I'm trying to be a considerate person."

"Shut up." I told him calmly, shaking my head and making a face. "Thanks for telling me, though." I then added, shrugging my shoulder.

"N-no problem." Stiles stuttered and for some reason, his face went red. I bit down on the inside of my cheek to keep from smiling and then nodded. "I also had another thing I wanted to ask you."

I paused and then cocked my head to the side. "What?" I asked, letting out that smile and Stiles looked back at me with a small glint in his eyes.

"Curly fries." He blurted out and I frowned, furrowing my brow. "D-do you like curly fries?"

"Do I like curly fries?" I repeated, lifting up my head and raising my eyebrows. "Seriously, did you just ask me that?"

"Yeah, I did." Stiles muttered. "Well…do you?"

"Yes I like curly fries you moron!" I exclaimed, throwing my hands up and nearly smacking him.

"Hey, I don't like the name calling." He grumbled, wagging his finger at me. "I was asking a question because there-there is a really great joint down the street that serves the best curly fries ever."

"And?" I asked, jutting out my head.

"I think we should go get some to shake of this dark mood I so graciously placed upon us." Stiles said, holding on his arms and bowing like an idiot.

"I'm hungry." I told him, shrugging my shoulder. "I'm down."

"Great!" He chirped, bouncing on his toes. "Let-let's go."

"Thanks Stilinski."

"Shut it, Bradley."

* * *

 **AN: REJOICE! FALL ON YOUR KNEES! Okay, maybe dont do that...**

 **Anyways, I got my very first review and I can not honestly tell you how happy that makes me! Shout out to _ClarkeGriffin_ for being the first reviewer on my story and telling me he/she loved the story! I love you so much, honestly and hope to see your reviews more! **

**Also, I loved the interactions Tessa had with almost all of the characters in here. I want her to finally get more comfortable with everyone and it's so much easier to write when she's happy! I blessed you all with another Tessa/Stiles scene but I'm sorry I didn't go into more detail :( But trust me, ladies and gentlemen, your love with be given to you on a silver platter.**

 **As always, please, please, please review. Obviously I love them so much. I love them just as much as I love you guys!**


	8. Chapter 8

I slowly opened my eyes, a familiar ache in my forehead from waking up so early and being tired from the night before. I let out a long groan before rolling onto my side and taking a look at the clock. I had woken up on time but it hadn't gotten any easier over the past weeks I'd been living here. I was just glad I wasn't up earlier and didn't have to go to school by myself again. Andre had beaten herself up for taking me to school early and then promised to never, ever do it again. I had told her it wasn't her fault but didn't argue with her never taking me to school earlier. Still, Andre felt that she should be held responsible for me having to see the bus and I couldn't help but console her and tell her that everything was okay. I was over it anyways.

I crawled out of my bed and then grabbed my phone off of the nightstand. I went through my notifications but I hadn't gotten any texts or calls from my friends. I simply tossed my cellphone back onto my bed and then slugged over to my closet. I decided to switch up my style today and picked out a long sleeve white shirt, a pair of light denim ripped skinny jeans, and a pair of black combat boots. My hair was wavy from the braid I had put it in after my shower last night and I simply had to brush it and then fluff it. As I was brushing my teeth, I was beginning to wake up more and my mood was beginning to increase positively. I wasn't sure exactly why but I wasn't going to try and stop it. I had fought so desperately to hate this town and hate everyone in it, but I came to realize that it wasn't that bad. Sure there were suspicious and dangerous things happening but I was still making friends and being happy. Andre was even happy too and that made me even happier. Of course, I'd never truly admit to anyone how exactly I felt. I still had the small part of me that wanted to keep my emotions concealed and not let anyone worry about me. I'd already had enough of that yesterday.

Since Andre did have early classes this morning, Lydia offered to give me a ride to school. As much as she tried to put up the front that I was the annoying little girl that she carried around, she still was slightly worried about me. We were practically the same which probably explained why we had an also strong distaste against each other. I assumed it never really meant much. We just did it because that's how we were programmed. I put up the front that I hated Lydia and I didn't want to be her friend. We both understood the fronts and respected them honestly. Of course, we didn't have to put up our fronts for Allison. We were able to express our emotions to the other girl and when we were all together, it was like we were free to be exactly who we were. It was sort of a relief. It was like I was finally getting the weight off my weak shoulders.

As soon as my bottom feet hit the stairs, I heard a small beep from my driveway. I went over to the window and brushed the blinds back, looking through the glass. I scanned over my yard until my eyes landed on the black Beetle parked on my driveway with a red-head in the driver's seat. When she saw me looking, she lifted up her hand with a small smile and waved. Then, she lifted up a white bag and a coffee. She'd brought me breakfast. I smiled back at her warmly and then slung my backpack over my shoulders. I was about to call out goodbye to Andre but I remembered she was already gone. I silently saluted the house and then rushed out the front door. I hopped down the steps and then slid into the passenger seat beside Lydia.

"I'm impressed." She said proudly, her lip gloss covered lips curving up in a confident smirk as she studied my clothes. "You dressed like a girl today."

"I wish I could say I was impressed." I murmured quietly to myself, bobbing my eyebrows. "But you wear the same style every day." I finished as a tease and Lydia rolled her eyes. I half-expected her to argue but it seemed like we were both in the same good mood today. She handed me the white bag and coffee cup.

"Here is your breakfast." Lydia chirped, setting it in my lap and then removing the car out of park. "I knew you'd get up late so I brought it for you."

"Wow," I gasped as I opened the top of the bag. There was a sesame seed bagel and a blueberry scone all wrapped in tan paper. "I think I might have to start calling you my mother, Lyd."

"It's all refundable to a trashcan, Tessa." Lydia told me in a sing-song voice, adjusting the mirror with her red nails. "I'd watch it if I were you."

"See…there's my Lydia." I chided, smiling like a four-year old with my cheeks stuffed with food. I might have actually sprayed a few pieces in her car but she didn't take notice so I opted to not talk until I'd swallowed my food. "I guess I never asked you. How was your double date that you so kindly invited yourself to?"

"I did not invite myself." Lydia squeaked, frowning and shaking her head. "I simply made different plans with Allison."

"You made different plans _for_ Allison, Lydia." I snorted, giving her a sideways smile and glancing at her out of the corner of my eye.

"I honestly don't see a difference." Lydia replied back casually, blinking and twisting her face up like she was actually thinking about it. "But, if you want to know, it went better than I expected."

"Why's that?" I asked, raising an eyebrow and taking a small bite of the scone.

"Well, I figured that bringing along the boy who maimed my boyfriend would actually be one of the worst ideas I'd thought of." Lydia said and she heard me take in a breath to speak. "If you make a sarcastic comment, I will pay for the medical bill when I remove your vocal cords." Her hand was up in the air-silencing me and making me frown and make a face.

"That's more gruesome than anything than I could think up on the spot." I grumbled to myself, shaking my head and shoving more food into my mouth.

"I'm honored." Lydia replied tonelessly and I rolled my eyes. "Anyways, back to the more important things." She flicked on the heater, the car becoming cold as we drove. "It wasn't that bad. Jackson and Scott barely even argued."

"Dang, that's a first." I snorted, bobbing my eyebrows and side glancing my friend to make sure she wasn't going to injure me.

"I hope you weren't too lonely without me for a night." Lydia sighed dramatically, flipping her hair over her shoulder and stopping at a red light.

"Lydia, I'm by myself at night, if I'm lucky, five days out of the week." I retorted, shaking my head and rolling my eyes. "I'm never lonely. I love being alone."

"I've noticed." Lydia muttered back, narrowing her eyes and pressing her lips tightly together. "And that's why I've been working to have you break that habit."

"Okay, you can't exactly change the force of human nature. I've never been social on my free will." I said back to her, holding up my hands in mock surrender.

"I've been known to do incredible things, Tessa. You have no idea." Lydia mused, smiling at me and flipping her head in my direction before driving off.

"Well you managed to rope me in to being sort of your friend." I pointed out, shrugging my shoulder and making her smile even wider. Something in her eyes twinkled and I could feel it in my chest. Lydia Martin was legitimately proud of herself. She was happy that I had just said those words to her and I couldn't help but feel proud of her.  
"It's still in the process you know. We aren't done here." She informed me and I laughed, leaning my head back against the seats and looking up towards the ceiling. I heard a small laugh come from her lips and looked over at her. She had her pink lips pressed together tightly and she gave me a tiny smile. "But we're close."

"Yeah," I said softly, nodding my head. "We're close, Lyd."

* * *

I placed my English book inside my locker, glad to finally have the class over with, and then pulled out my math notebook. I shifted it into my arms before slamming the locker shut. I turned on my heel to walk the other way when a very pathetic squeal slipped through my lips as I leapt backwards, dropping my book onto the floor. Allison knitted her brow together and gave me a highly confused look as she saw my reaction to her sudden presence standing behind my locker door. She watched me for a few moments as I tried to catch my breath and bent over at my waist with my eyes closed.

"I am trying so hard,"-I paused to suck in a deep breath-"not to kill you right now." I lifted up my head and gave her a death glare, holding up my finger.

She raised her eyebrows and then placed a hand on her hips. "After that noise you just made, I don't even think Stiles would be afraid of you anymore." She said, pointing to me and shaking her head. I rolled my eyes and then straightened up, snatching my math book on the way.

"What are you doing anyways? Shouldn't you be on your way to economics?" I asked, flipping my hair out of my face, and gesturing towards the other end of the school.

"First off, it's seriously not that far away. Second, I have some very exciting news I'd like to share with you." Allison answered, bouncing on her toes and smiling proudly.

"Okay, excite me." I sighed, throwing one hand up and slapping it down onto my leg as we began to walk down the hallway.

"So, my most favorite aunt came into town last night and it turns out she's going to be staying with us for a while." Allison explained, grinning and clutching her books tightly to her chest.

I paused for a moment before frowning. "Wow, now I'm disappointed." I grumbled and Allison smacked her lips together, rolling her eyes.

"Look, I think you'd really like her. She's kind of like you." Allison expanded, her tone almost pleading and I cocked up an eyebrow.

"How is she like me?" I inquired slowly, curious to hear just exactly what Allison thought of me.

"Well, for starters…her sarcasm is defienently what brings you to mind." My friend said knowingly, nudging her shoulder into mine as I snorted. "And she's confident and has like a…spirit in her."

"Oh so I'm possessed?" I snapped, raising my eyebrows and giving her a look. Allison threw her head back with a graceful laugh.

"No! I mean she's her own person. She doesn't let people dull her sparkle."

"Okay, I'd rather be possessed than Edward Cullen."

"Tessa!"

"Alright, alright, I got it." I chuckled, holding up my hands and grinning at Allison who was grinning back at me even though she had tried to be irritated. "She sounds like my type of gal." I nodded, shrugging my shoulder.

"That's why you're coming for dinner tonight."

"Excuse me?" I stopped short, raising up an eyebrow and trying to mask my sudden fear for annoyance. I wasn't going to tell Allison that I was both terrified of her mother and her father. I'd probably be scared of her aunt if she was anything like her brother. I wouldn't tell Allison that I didn't want to spend a night at dinner with her family either. I thought about lying-saying Andre didn't want me out late but I could lie to Allison. That would defienently make things worse in the end.

"I said that you're coming over for dinner tonight." Allison repeated, nodding her head and keeping that same innocent look on her face. Obviously she didn't get the gist that I was only asking her again because this was so sudden. "I know it's kind of a last minute thing but I had no idea Kate was coming."

I licked my lips slowly and nodded. "So, uh, it's just going to be me, you, your parents, and your aunt?" I asked, beginning to walk again.

"Yeah, I completely understand if you might feel, uh, uncomfortable." Allison mumbled and I shook my head rapidly.

"No! No, it's fine. It's perfect." I breathed out, grinning shyly. Allison hesitated but then smiled back at me. "What time?"

"Well, uh, I forgot to tell you." Allison murmured, chewing on her bottom lip. "Scott's coming over to study."

I smirked and looked over at her. "Oh, I see." I said slowly. "He's coming over to 'study'?" I teased, putting up my hands and she rolled her eyes.

"You're honestly unbelievable." Allison grumbled and I snorted.

"Wow, I haven't heard that one before." I bit out sarcastically and Allison sighed agitatedly. I kept myself from grinning and then rested a hand on her shoulder. "I'm kidding. Look, it sounds like you're going to have a good time."

"I know I'm just…nervous, you know? He's only met my Dad once." Allison explained and she rubbed her forehead. "And the first time they met, my dad had already hit him with our car."

"What the hell?" I gasped, snapping my head to look at her. "When was this? Why didn't you tell me?"

"It was before the lacrosse game and I kind of spaced it after I told you about the kiss." Allison answered, shrugging her shoulders. "And he wasn't even hurt."

"He still got hit by a car!" I exclaimed, throwing one arm up. "Whatever, he isn't dead and he still functions like a normal human being, so I guess it isn't that important."

"Right," Allison murmured to herself and nodded. "But, do you think my parents will like him as much as I do?"

"Allison, come on." I laughed softly. "I even have a sore spot for Scott. He's like the adorable puppy you can't help but like."

Allison giggled, the noise practically becoming joy to my ears. For some reason, this day was a day where I was really appreciating the girls I called my friends. "Thanks, Tessa." Allison told me and before I could fully react, we were locked in a hug. Her head was resting on my shoulder and my math book was pressed against her back as I wrapped my arms around my friend. "It means a lot." She murmured into my shoulder.

"No problem, Allison." I replied, letting a small sigh escape my nose before we broke apart and she hurried off in the other direction.

It seemed like the day was passing in flying colors. I didn't have much interaction with Scott or Stiles. They seemed to be secluded into their own world, ignoring everyone else around them. It was nice to be back at school and not have to see a bloody bus inside my mind. Of course it still itched that the man had died inside the bus but I slowly getting over it. I had more important things that were in my control that I needed to handle. I was strong enough to get passed this and sleep through the night without images of that morning flashing through my head. It was a relief that Stiles had taken me out for fries the other night and as much as I didn't want to admit it, I had a good time. As much as the little shit irritated me, I couldn't help but laugh and smile when I was around him. He was clumsy, sarcastic, and I found amusement when you offended him and he looked like a fist, opening and closing his mouth constantly. Of course he was still undeniably annoying and I wanted to punch him every five seconds but it was unavoidable. Stiles Stilinski started to grow on you, even if you didn't give him any water.

Before the lunch period, I rushed off to the bathroom after holding it in for possible hours. I relieved myself of my anguish and ducked my head down, washing my hands and removing all of the grime I knew this girl's restroom held. I hummed to myself softly, some notes going lower than other's when I got frustrated with the old sink. Finally, I finished and lifted up, looking at myself in the mirrors. My eyes instantly flickered over to a moving object which happened to be one of the bathroom doors. It creaked very softy and moved ever so slightly. I paused, my hands still dripping in the sink. I frowned, staring at the door through the dirt covered mirror.

"Hello?" I called out calmly, my voice echoing off the bathroom walls. "Is someone else in here?" I wasn't sure why I would ask that question in the first place. It was a bathroom, why would I be asking if someone was in here. It was a stupid question so I decided to wander over to the paper towel dispenser when the creak sounded from behind me again. This time, I snapped my head over my shoulder and narrowed my eyes towards the bathroom stall. For a split second, I blamed it on a ghost. This school was old and probably had major history.

My theory was shattered when I saw a pair of black boots standing underneath the stall. I slowly moved my eyes over to the mirror and saw a face that I could barely make out but I knew it as a male subject. Instantly, my eyes widened and I lunged forward towards the door. I began to pull it open when a hand suddenly landed on my hand, slamming the door shut, and making the breath leave my entire body. "Please don't kill me!" I shouted out weakly, squeezing my eyes shut and freezing.

"Don't be ridiculous." The voice grunted from behind me. I opened one eye, a confused frown coming across my lips. "Open your damn eyes and turn around."

I hesitated, afraid that I might turn right around into a knife or a gun, but then opened both of my eyes and slowly turned. What I was met with was not a gun or a knife—but a person I never thought I would have to encounter in my life. My river of fear evaporated and I narrowed my eyes slowly. "What do you want?" I bit out carefully, still making sure to not set this guy off too much. He was bigger than me and obviously a lot stronger. "And what the hell are you doing in the girl's bathroom, _Derek_?"

Derek Hale glared down at me, a small fire lit in his green orbs. I'd never been this close to him but I knew he'd seen me the day he got arrested and had been across the street near Scott's house. He knew exactly who I was. I glared right back at him and shifted my stance. I wasn't going anywhere without knowing why he was here and why he had stopped me from leaving. As far as I was concerned, we would never have to make associations with one another. That clearly wasn't the case now.

"I don't have time to deal with you." Derek growled through gritted teeth and I rolled my eyes, crossing my arms over my chest. "More rather deal with your attitude."

"Then why'd you stop me from leaving?" I challenged, cocking up an eyebrow and trying to hide the fact that I was genuinely curious.

"As much as I hate saying this"—Derek paused and he blinked, as if he were troubled. I was about to question him further when he leaned over, a large and infected cough echoing through the bathroom. I watched him with a small twinge of worry and he stood back up, his hand clenched. I stared down at it and it slowly opened. There was a puddle of black and red goo sitting in his pale and clammy palm.

"—you need my help." I finished for him softly and I looked up into his eyes. He kept the same angered and brooding look on his face but there was something in his green eyes that made me think he wasn't all that angry. He was desperate and from the way his skin was lightened and the way the sweat dripped down his face, he was weak. This wasn't your average flu. There was something else wrong with him. "Derek, what happened to you?"

"I—I got…shot." He replied back with a shaky tone. I could feel the false words hitting my ears but if he was this desperate and wasn't giving me the truth, I didn't need to know it. All I needed to know was that he needed help.

"Why did you come to me?" I shook my head and then leaned back, locking the bathroom door. If someone walked in and saw me with Derek, things could go wrong. Even though Derek was let out of jail, people still saw him as a murderer. I hated it—but I had a small part of me that did believe he killed the girl. I had to put it passed me. If he wanted someone like me dead, he would have done it already.

"You're friends with Scott and Stiles." He answered. "And I know you won't scream running in the other direction."

"Well, uh, I did try to run like two minutes ago." I mumbled, feebly jutting my thumb over my shoulder and making Derek glare down at me once more. "I get it. I won't go to the police or something irrational like that." I stated, shaking my head.

"And you're friends with Scott and Stiles—both of them." He repeated once more, nodding his head with each word.

"Okay, right." I answered, shrugging my shoulder. "But what does this have to do with them?"

"I need their help." Derek responded tightly and I nearly burst into laughter.

"Those two morons? You'd get better help from a couple of pigs." I scoffed, dropping my hands down to my sides.

"Those two morons are the only two people that can save my life." Derek snapped back at me and at his fierce tone, my eyes instantly narrowed.

"In case you've been in jail too long"—Derek growled—"there's this thing called a hospital filled with people named doctors."

"They can't help me." Derek tried to point out and I rolled my eyes.

"And Scott and Stiles can? Look, I know Scott's mom is a nurse but that doesn't mean he is." I pointed back out to him and he huffed with irritation.

"I don't need medical attention, Tessa." He snarled and shook his head. He then reached out to mess with his wrist on his left arm. My eyes flickered to his arm.

I shot forward and then grabbed his arm. He went to fight me but stopped, letting me lift up the sleeve of his leather jacket. "Holy shit." I hissed when I was met with a blue, puffed wound. It steamed up with the same aqua color and I could see the same black substance he'd coughed up leaking down his arm. "Derek, you need to get to the hospital now."

"I can't!" He barked, jerking his arm away from me. He spun around, inhaling deeply. "I just can't go to the hospital. Don't ask me why because I won't tell you."

"Then why the hell did you come to me, huh? If you can't tell me shit then what the actual hell?" I fumed, taking a step toward the older man.

"You can convince Scott and Stiles to help me." Derek answered back calmly after he'd tried to relax.

"Right, I forgot they threw you in jail." I mumbled heartlessly, looking down at the floor. "What makes you think I'll even help you? Maybe I still think that you really did kill that girl and bury her on your property."

"You don't think that." Derek shot back quickly. "At least you don't fully believe that it was me who killed her." He checked, giving me a serious look. I blinked—slightly stunned that he knew this. We'd never spoken but he already knew.

"Okay…still doesn't answer my question." I said with a shaky tone. I couldn't drop down my brave guard now.

"You'll do it because I'll die if you don't. And you need me."

"Oh good God." I groaned and I slapped my hands to my face. "Please don't tell me you're like in love with me or something."

"I'd rather be in love with those pigs." Derek growled back and I scowled at him dangerously. "I mean that you and your friends need my help and if I die, I clearly wouldn't be able to attend to you."

"We don't need your help with our math homework but thanks for the bargain." I drawled out tonelessly, giving him a very unconvinced look.

"Fine but I know you don't want me to die because you didn't help me." Derek said and I instantly knew what he was doing. He was blackmailing me. He was trying to make me feel some sort of guilt. He was using my fear against me and the worst part of it all—it was working.

"What do you want me to tell Scott and Stiles?" I asked in a soft tone, swallowing and giving him a look that said it all. I would help Derek.

"Tell them that I was here and that I was hurt." Derek answered, obviously pleased to see that I had finally agreed to his offer. "I'll try to meet them."

"What if they don't go?" I inquired, shaking my head and slapping my hands up slightly. "What if I can't convince them to go?"

Silently, Derek walked over to the paper towel dispenser. He opened his hand and then used the towel to wipe away the black goo. He then handed the towel to me. "Give this to them. Tell them it came from me."

"This is disgusting." I murmured, holding the towel up in the air and wrinkling up my nose. "I sure as hell hope this works."

"It will." Derek urged his voice hard as he gave me a look.

"Okay." I breathed out, shoving the towel into my pocket, making sure not to smudge the black towel. "I've got to go to lunch. I'll sit with them."

"Don't let anyone hear you or see the towel besides Scott and Stiles." Derek instructed me and I nodded.

"Got it." I told him and then backed away towards the door. "I'll—I'll see you when you don't look like a vampire and you're not coughing up stuff that belongs in my shower drain." I mumbled with the same disgust and I unlocked the bathroom door. I rushed out of it, my head down and then made my way to lunch.

I wouldn't let Derek die. Even though we'd only met today and I didn't really like the guy, I was still in the phase where death affected me more than anyone. I didn't want anyone to die and I'd help anyone who was going to die. I still wasn't exactly clear as to why Derek coughed up the black liquid, had blue steam come from his wound, why he needed help from the wonder twins, and why he couldn't go to the hospital. Something was not normal here but I couldn't rack my brain as it what it might be. I thought maybe it had something to do with drugs but Stiles's dad was a cop. Stiles was a dumbass but he wasn't stupid enough to get involved with something like that. Of course now this was going to bother me and I wouldn't get it off my mind until I told Scott and Stiles and hopefully got a full story but the secrecy Derek was using without the two boys there put me under the impression that the boys weren't going to do me much justice.

I entered the room and saw that Lydia and Allison hadn't gotten here. I went through the line, not passing up the food of course. Luckily, Scott and Stiles were already sitting at their normal table. I scanned the room for my two other friends and then shot over to sit down beside Stiles.

"Wow—hi!" Stiles gasped, jumping in his seat when I fell down beside him. "Tessa, you're sitting here…with us."

"Yeah, I did this like three days ago." I replied back casually, as if this was no big deal. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Stiles straighten up in his seat. He began to look around and adjust his plate. "Relax, lover boy. Lydia's not going to be joining us today."

Stiles's shoulders sagged and he tossed his utensils back onto the table. "Then why are you sitting with us?" Scott asked and I looked over at him.

"Um…there's something that sort of happened before lunch." I mumbled, rubbing the back of neck and setting down my fork carefully.

"Okay?" Stiles asked, raising his brows and leaning forward in his seat. I looked over at him with a slightly worried expression and he frowned. "Are you alright?"

"I—I'm fine." I answered, nodding. "B—but Derek's not."

I heard Scott choke on this hamburger he was eating and Stiles choked on his own spit. "What!?" He practically squawked and I practically shrunk when unwanted eyes landed on our table. "And how do you know this?"

"If I tell you, you can't freak out." I ordered, pointing at him like he was a child. He nodded frantically and I looked towards Stiles. "You too, puppy dog."

"Just tell us before I _literally_ have a panic attack." Stiles snapped and I glared him before sighing. I ran a hand through my hair and looked down at my plate of food.

"I was going to the bathroom and Derek was in there."

"T—"

"You said you wouldn't freak out!"

Stiles growled lowly and slumped in his seat. "Continue."

I rolled my eyes and looked towards Scott who seemed to be oddly quiet. "As I was saying before, Derek was there and he stopped me from leaving. He looked like really pale and he was sweating a lot. I was really snappy and sarcastic but he was being serious and almost desperate." I explained while Scott and Stiles exchanged a nervous glance. "He—he said he was shot but he couldn't go to the hospital. Then he said…he needed your guy's help."

"You said he was…shot?" Scott asked slowly, leaning forward in his seat and sounding like he was barely confused.

"Yeah but—but he refused to go to the hospital. He said that the doctors couldn't help him. Only you two idiots." I grumbled, making Stiles glare at me. "I don't care what he did but he said he was going to die."

"He is going to die?" Stiles whispered from beside me and I nodded. "W—why would we help him? In case you didn't notice, we don't really like Derek."

"Stiles, he is going to die and you're just going to let him?" I was honestly surprised by this behavior from Stiles.

"He killed an innocent girl!"

"Uh, no, actually, he didn't, dumbass." I pointed out with a level of sass I only achieved with Stiles Stilinski. "An animal killed her."

"And you really believe that?" Stiles grumbled but it sounded like he was speaking more to himself than me. I pressed my lips tightly together. "Besides, what if he's bluffing?"

"Seriously, he would bluff about dying? Why the hell would he do that?" I asked Stiles incredulously, turning in my chair to look at him.

"I don't know. He might be trying to kill us because we sent him to jail." Stiles answered and I curled up my fist. Rapidly, I brought it up and slammed my knuckles into his shoulder. His chair groaned against the floor as he shot in his seat.

"Holy—"

I swung my head to look towards Scott was sitting up in his chair and looking at me with a slightly fearful expression. "Listen to me, please. Even after you two sent him to jail, he's still coming to you for help with whatever is wrong with him." I pointed out, finally looking at Stiles who was rubbing his shoulder and glaring at me. "And…he coughed up this." I pulled out the towel from my pocket it and tossed it on the table. Scott was the first one to grab it and he opened it up. I knew when his eyes saw the goo because they widened and he let out a rickety breath.

"Stiles, this doesn't look good." Scott murmured and then handed the paper to him. Stiles removed his hand from his arm and held open the towel. He looked down at the black liquid as well and then returned his attention back to Scott. "Tessa, what else happened in the bathroom?" Scott asked carefully and I swallowed.

"He showed me where he got shot." I answered. "He got shot on the wrist. That black stuff was also coming out of the wound and it was blue."

"It was blue?" Stiles repeated, handing me back the towel. I nodded and shoved it into my bag.

"There was like blue steaming coming up from it and it smelled awful. There were black veins going up the length of his forearm." I answered and subconsciously traced my fingers up the side of my arm. "Something is really wrong with him."

"We'll help him." Scott agreed confidently, nodding his head.

"Wow, way to be a team player, Scott." I said loudly, looking towards Stiles as I did so. "Thank you so much."

"Do not get pissed at me because I was reluctant to help a guy who had just been convicted of murder and not to mention, he's terrifying and not trustworthy." Stiles grumbled, pointing his finger in my face. I shoved it away with a small huff.

"I was pissed at you because you weren't even reluctant. You had already made up your mind and you were going to let Derek die." I accused.

"How was I supposed to honestly know that Derek was telling the truth?" Stiles asked and looked towards Scott as if the boy would help him.

"Do you want to get punched again?" I cocked up an eyebrow and raised my fist.

"No!" He practically squealed. "God, no. You punch like the Incredible Hulk."

I smirked and then placed my hand on my chest. "That is the sweetest thing."

"Guys, hey, Derek is dying?" Scott said, waving his hands in the air. Stiles gave me one last glare before we turned to look at Scott. "Did he tell you anything else?"

"He said he would meet you guys somewhere." I replied. "He's still at the school but Scott he seriously does not look good."

"He'll get help." Scott told me softly and he gave me a sincere look. "Don't worry about him okay, Tessa?"

I swallowed and the nodded curtly. "Good." I said tightly and then looked towards Stiles who'd suddenly stopped glaring at me and was now looking at me with a concerned expression. I shifted under his gaze. "He—he wouldn't tell me anything. He wouldn't tell me why you could help and any doctor couldn't." I rubbed my hands down my face and sighed exasperatedly. "But I don't think I want to know."

"I don't think you want to know either." Stiles mumbled and I side glanced him briefly before sitting back in my chair. Something was wrong here.

* * *

 **AN: Wowza, that was a short but informational chapter! I realized that Tessa had never really met Derek but she knew him from the whole murder thing. I decided it was time for the girl to get some time with the fabulous Derek Hale. I love him so much and really enjoyed the way their interaction played out.**

 **I know this chapter it shorter and a little bit later but I had some insanely important family issues I had to go out of town for and I use a computer with a monitor.**

 **S/O to my newest reviewer _bmdrwho12_! Your review made my day and I can't wait to give you more StilesxTessa scenes! I love them as much as you do! Thank you so much!**

 **As always, please, please, please review. I love them more than season 1 Scallison and that's saying a lot ;)**


	9. Chapter 9

AN: I do believe this is the longest chapter I have written in this book. I hadn't realized how long it was and then was sad to know that I could not going into depth in the Argent dinner! I deeply, deeply, apologize for that but I wanted some real character development in here but not just with Tessa. I wasn't her to sort of really, really, begin molding her friendships with the people I hadn't really molded it with yet. So, yeah. Read on.

* * *

As the day passed on, I felt numb to everything around me. Lunch had finished and as soon as Stiles and Scott were away from me, I got the sense that something was dangerous going on around me. Derek had been shot and the boys hadn't seemed too surprised by the fact. Instead, they only were worried when they heard that he had been around me in general. I was trying not to hold the other fact that Stiles had basically brushed the idea of helping Derek and was willing to let him die. Even though he claimed that wasn't the case, I could see it in every perspective. I didn't want Derek to die because apparently the only people that could have helped him refused to. I wouldn't let Stiles let someone die and I didn't care what I had to do to make him help.

It was the last period of the day and I had my head in my hands, half listening to the lesson being given to us by Finstock. He seemed to not be as interested in the subject as the rest of the class and drawled on while a small part of the students listened. I shoved my palms into my eyes, letting out a tired sigh. I learned that being worried was exhausting. It made me want to crawl under my bed covers and sleep until my eyes didn't sag and my head didn't thud with pain. It was a constant headache and I hoped to relieve myself of it soon. As long as I didn't keep getting informed of murders, I'd be fine. And, just to top everything off, I still had a planned dinner at the Argent household. That added even more intense worry onto my chest and I softly groaned.

"Tessa?" I heard a voice whisper from beside me and I moved one hand off of my eye to see who was talking to me. I expected to see Lydia or Stiles but instead, it was Scott beside me. Somehow I'd forgotten he'd taken the seat beside me, Stiles sitting behind him while Lydia had her seat away from me with a blonde girl.

I didn't like the way Scott was looking at me. His wide brown eyes were filled to the brim with concern and his mouth was drawn into an uneasy frown. It was like he knew everything that was running through my head. "Yeah?" I asked with a slightly sarcastic tone, rising up an eyebrow. I just wanted to get that stupid look out of his eyes.

Scott paused for a moment and glanced up towards Finstock who had his back turned. He then looked back at me and sucked in a deep breath. "Are—are you worried about, you know, Derek?" Scott replied back nervously, shrugging his shoulder and setting down the pencil quietly on his desk.

Was I really still worried about Derek? I knew he was going to get help but my stomach was churning just at the thought of his death. I felt like I was more worried about other things besides Derek but those other things revolved around Derek and the weird things going on in this town. "I—I don't know. I can't be worried about him if I don't know everything, right?" I meant it more as a question but it came out as a retort. It went to Scott as a wave of sass and he tensed after the words left my lips.

"I'm sorry that we can't tell you everything." He murmured, looking away from me and fiddling with his pencil. "It's just…dangerous."

"Dangerous, Scott?" I chuckled humorlessly, making sure that Finstock hadn't heard me. "This whole town is in danger, alright? Derek got shot. Does that not point a finger to, you know, a threat?"

"It does. It totally does." Scott replied innocently, holding up his hand and nodding his head. "What I mean is that telling you…you could be in danger."

"Scott, I will get into any danger if it means saving people. Do you understand that?" I told him slowly, nodding my head with each word.

"Tessa, I'm not telling you because I want to protect you, okay? I don't know if you understand that." Scott shot back calmly and I pressed my lips together tightly.

"Don't let him die, Scott. If Derek dies, I will literally kill both of you two idiots." I grumbled, shaking my head and making Stiles look in our direction.

"Hey, we're the idiots saving that most terrifying guy to ever walk the Earth." Stiles hissed, leaning on his desk and almost getting in Scott's face.

I rolled my eyes but didn't have a chance to respond. "Balinski!" Finstock suddenly shouted and the entire class jumped, all being knocked out of their day dreams. "I wasn't aware that there was something more important than economics." He growled, stomping over to stand in front of his desk.

"Um—uh…" Stiles opened and closed his mouth like a fish.

"Or is it the other delinquent I have in this room?" Finstock asked and my eyes widened when he looked over at me with a raised eyebrow. I looked around and then pointed to my chest with an innocent look.

"You mean…me?" Finstock nodded and I sighed exasperatedly. Of course…this just had to happen to me today. I hated getting into arguments with Finstock.

"Well who else just happens to be named Tessa and makes me want to quit my job ever afternoon?" Coach was almost shouting and I cringed at the loudness of his voice. He looked away from Stiles and began to wander close to my desk.

"Well, I mean, that girl back there"—I pointed to a girl farther back in the room—"her name is Marissa and I mean you're getting older."

"Nope, it's defienently you." He growled and slammed his hands down on each side of my desk. I jumped at the loudness and then shot a look at Scott who was watching with equally as terrified eyes. Stiles had leaned forward and Lydia was even paying attention. Usually, she didn't care if someone was getting yelled at but this time, it was me, her friend. I was totally going to get it from her.

"Lucky me…" I cheered nervously, grinning and thrusting a small fist in the air.

Finstock narrowed his eyes dangerously at me and I gulped. "Listen here, Bradley." He said lowly, bending down so his eyes locked with mine. "I will put it in my best interest to make your high school years hell."

"W—why would you want to do that?" I chuckled breathlessly and rubbed the back of my neck.

"Why would I want to do that?" He repeated, cocking up an eyebrow as he stood up back to his full height. He placed his hands on his hips and then scanned the classroom. "Can someone tell me why I would want to make Tessa's life terrible?"

My jaw collapsed open and I jerked around in my seat. I was ready to glare at anyone who dared to raise their hand. I met every single eye in the room—even Lydia's and when no one moved, I slowly spun back around with a smirk on my face. "Come on, Finstock. Everyone loves me." I said coyly, putting my hands up behind my head.

"Yeah, everyone except for me!" He shouted, throwing his hands up in the air and I frowned at him still keeping my hands up.

"So you agree with me?" I asked slowly, lifting up an eyebrow and his face went blank for a few moments before I practically saw his eyes fill up with pure anger.

"Do I agree with you?" He bit out. "Do I—NO!"

The entire class jumped as he screeched his answer, including myself. Someone's desk scooted back and the sound of a chair scrapping across the floor made me flinch. I held my hands up in the air as if I was protecting myself from the blow of his voice and then I glanced in the direction where the two boys sat. I glared down Stiles angrily and he shrunk back in his seat, hiding behind Scott's head. If it weren't for stupid freaking Stiles, I wouldn't be getting publically humiliated by my economics teacher. As if this wasn't bad enough, Lydia was literally going to gouge my eyeballs out with an eyeliner pencil and run me over with her Beetle multiple times until she felt I had stopped embarrassing her in front of everyone. Of course she'd make it about her and I'd have to sit there while she explained to me how bad it was of me to challenge a teacher. Technically I didn't challenge Finstock. I was just sarcastic and decided to drag on our argument.

I shifted in my seat and then turned my eyes towards the clock. Class ended in a few minutes but it wasn't over. I still had to spend five more minutes in this room with a man I had just expertly pissed off. He was going to take it on the entire class and I knew everyone was probably going to despise me after this. In the beginning of the year, I wouldn't have cared but I was starting to get these things called feelings. Now, they were subliminally going to get hurt.

"Y—you're right." I told him calmly, holding my hands up in mock surrender. It was literally the hardest words to come from my lips and that was saying a lot. I didn't actually mean it but I would do everything I could to save myself from detention and, what Lydia would call, social suicide. Actually, I already committed that by sitting with Scott and Stiles at lunch. Lydia had already given me the earful on that too.

"You're goddamn right!" He cheered and threw his fist up with his cocky grin. Suddenly, it slipped off his face and I struggled to hide my smile. "I—I just…"

"Yeah you did." I wheezed, sinking down into my chair and nodding. Of course as soon as I tried to save myself, I practically eliminated every option I had. It was over now and I was awaiting the moment where the bomb would explode. He was going to demolish everything in his way. This was honestly more terrifying than anything I had ever experienced, even the bus.

"TESSA!" He belched but just as he said so, the bell rang. It cut out his voice and I didn't wait to scramble out of my chair. I sprinted out of the room, Scott and Stiles hot my trail as we tumbled out away from our blistering economics teacher. I was able to get around the corner and then ignored the two boys as they heaved beside me. I stomped down the hallway—mildly pissed with both of them.

I fumbled with my locker, trying to shake off the nerves I still had left from the episode inside the classroom. I managed to open it but it was suddenly slammed shut by a perfectly manicured hand. I cringed as I had almost forgotten about Lydia.

"You are in so much trouble." Lydia threatened from behind me and I slowly turned around with the ugly look on my face.

"I couldn't imagine why." I replied back tightly, shrugging my shoulders and shaking my head. The girl narrowed her green eyes and planted her hands on her hips.

"How could you completely embarrass yourself in front of the entire class? God, couldn't you make it one more hour?" Lydia shrieked, throwing her hands up.

"It was not my fault, okay?" I argued strongly. "Stiles was the one who got Finstock's attention and then he was a dumbass and didn't answer to Finstock who then thought it was my fault."

"Still doesn't change the fact that you got superbly executed in front of our economics class that I just happen to be in." Lydia pointed out. "Even if I wasn't in your class and I heard about this, we'd be in the same situation."

"Look, I don't have any control over Coach's anger issues, alright? I really don't appreciate you laying everything on me, Lydia." I told her with mock anger. I crossed my arms over my chest and a small, unladylike growl came from her throat.

"I can't believe you!" She snapped, slamming her palm to my forehead. "You better pray to every God that you don't become the talk of the school again for something completely irreverent to popularity."

"Ouch, Lyd…just this morning you were complimenting my outfit." I muttered, rubbing my chest and subconsciously looking down at myself.

"Just this morning you weren't ruining the reputation I'd been working my ass off to get for you." She chirped back with the sass I was all but not used to.

"I don't want to be popular like you. Maybe that's why it's not working." I said to her, shrugging my shoulder and then turning around to get back inside my locker.

"Maybe it's not working because you're a stubborn little pain in my ass." Lydia retorted, leaning up against the locker beside mine.

"I seem to be having a lot to do with your ass." I teased, bobbing my eyebrows and smirking. I wasn't ready for the sudden slap I got to the side of my head. "Ow!" I cried, holding onto the spot where she'd hit me.

"I hope that knocks you back into some sort of sense." Lydia gritted through her teeth. "I am tired of you not being serious in every single conversation we have."

"You're tired of me? Good! That's—that's perfect." I exhaled sharply and slammed my books into my locker. "I'm sorry I can't be the perfect person you want me to be. I don't like dresses, heels make my feet hurt, makeup makes me break out, and I don't like socializing with the entire male population. I'm not like you, Lydia." I paused, chewing on my bottom lip and then shut my eyes. "I thought you'd understand that by now." I whispered and then opened back up my eyes, finishing loading my locker.

"Tessa, I never said that I was tired of you." Lydia replied back softly, looking away from me at the floor. "I—I just still have to get used to you. I know you still have to get used to me."

"Then why? Why do you constantly judge me?" I asked her, shutting my locker and turning to face the redhead. This was the first actual fight we'd ever gotten in and I had to admit, I didn't really like it.

"It's how I am. You have the sarcasm and the ability to not care what other people think." Lydia answered, shrugging her shoulder and crossing her arms over her chest. "I have to care what other people think. Living up the expectation people have for me is exhausting." She finished, sighing.

In that moment, I knew one of the real struggles Lydia Martin faced. She had your typical problems—bad hair day, not enough foundation—but she had much more that people didn't see. It was the way she felt inside. She was constantly striving to make everyone happy. She was rising up to the expectation everyone had around her. Lydia Martin had to be perfect, pretty, and popular. She couldn't do things like Scott and Stiles did. She couldn't talk with anyone outside her group. Lydia could only migrate with the other semi-popular girls and lacrosse jocks. She had to care about what everyone said about her because she was the sterling silver of Beacon Hills High School. Without asking, I knew she wished to live the way I did sometimes. She didn't want to care what people thought and I guessed that it couldn't be easy. She was bitter because she was tired. She wanted me to be like her because it was the way she had to be. She couldn't not care about how I dressed or what I did. I reflected on her.

"Lydia," I murmured and then placed a hand on her shoulder. "I can't exactly say I know how you feel but I—I have to guess that it's hard."

"It's not that hard." Lydia muttered, keeping her eyes towards the floor. Yet, she didn't shrug my hand off. She was letting me comfort her.

As if someone else had taken over my body, I leaned forward and wrapped my arms around her tiny frame. For a second, she was stiff and she stopped breathing. Finally, her arms twitched and she pulled me by the shoulders toward her. I could tell that she needed this and for some reason, so did I. It felt nice to hug Lydia after the conversation we'd just endured and this was another step forward in our friendship. We constantly bantered, but it was nothing that would affect us later on. It was the friendly arguments we had because I was a child and she was trying to make me an adult.

"I'm sorry, Lyd." I whispered, some of her red hair moving as I spoke.

"I know, Tess." She replied back and I laughed my chest shaking as I did so. I felt her's shake as she laughed and we broke apart.

"Hey, Allison!" I chirped when I came up beside her. "Ready to have a study date with your lover boy?" I teased, warming up to her and nudging the girl with my shoulder.

"Tessa," Allison hissed warningly and her eyes widened when Lydia gave Allison a very confused yet intrigued look. Apparently, Lydia wasn't supposed to know this.

"Scott's coming over?" Lydia asked, cocking up an eyebrow. "Tonight?"

"We're just studying together." Allison defended shyly, shaking her head but a small grin appeared on her face.

"Ha, 'just studying' never ends in with just studying." The redhead replied back with an almost annoyed tone. Obviously, Allison was supposed to know this already. "It's like…" Lydia looked up towards the ceiling as she thought. "…getting into a hot tub—somebody eventually cops a feel." She shrugged her shoulder nodding curtly.

"Oh my—Lydia don't say that." I told her, making a face and shaking my head. She rolled her eyes and proceeded to ignore me.

"Well, so what are you saying?" Allison asked as we began to descend up the stairwell. The girl had an innocent look on her face and I knew she was slightly worried now. I felt pity for her but there was nothing I could do now.

"I'm just saying, you know, make sure he covers up." Lydia answered slowly and I squeezed my eyes shut, sighing as we stopped on the steps.

"I did not need that mental image." I grumbled, rubbing my forehead as if I could wash away the image I had just caught in my mind. Leave to Lydia to make me want to throw up without even eating anything.

Allison looked over her shoulder at me, an almost concussed look on her face. Lydia caught this action and chuckled softly. "Hello, Snow White!" She said, rolling her eyes and giving a serious look down to the confused girl. "Do it with him with a condom." Lydia rephrased while tapping Allison in the chest. We continued our venture up the steps as I nearly tripped over my own feet.

Allison let out a breathless scoff. "Are you kidding me?" She gawked, following Lydia up the stairs. "After one date?"

Lydia stopped again and rolled her eyes, giving Allison the most annoyed look I had ever seen her give the girl. "Don't be a total prude. Give him a little taste." She said and once again tapped Allison's arms that were covered with a leather jacket.

"I don't second that." I interjected, stepping beside Lydia. "Technically, they haven't even been on a date. You crashed that, remember Lydia?" I asked the girl, swinging my head to look at her.

"For the thousandth time, Tessa, I did not crash their date!" Lydia said exasperatedly in my face. "And remember when they went to my party?"

"Scott ran out on her."

"Right…" Lydia murmured lowly, chewing on her bottom lip.

"Well, I—I mean how much is 'a little taste'?" Allison asked, crossing her arms again and looking around nervously. I resisted the urge to slap her upside the head like Lydia had done to me earlier. She was really going to go through with this.

"Oh, God. You really like him, don't you?" Lydia asked countered slowly and nodded her head with each word she said.

"Of course she likes him. They've been all over each other since the first freaking day of school." I pointed out throwing up a hand and gesturing towards Allison whose cheeks blushed a bright red.

"Well,"—Allison sighed, throwing her head back—"He's just different. When I first moved here, I had a plan—no boyfriends till college." Allison explained. "I just move too much. But…" the girl paused and wrung her fingers together as we made it to the top of the staircase. "Then I met him, and…he was different."

"You mean different like he's one of the most unsocial children in the school?" I asked her and she laughed, shaking her head.

"I don't know." She replied. "I can't explain it."

"I can." Lydia replied easily, shrugging her shoulder. "It's your brain flooding with phenylethylamine."

"Careful, Lydia. People might actually begin to think you're smart." I tusked, pointing at her and making her glare at me.

"What?" Allison chuckled breathlessly, referring back to the word Lydia had just used. I turned my attention back to her after smirking at my friend.

"I'll tell you what to do." Lydia exchanged, pointing at the brunette. "When's he coming over?"

"Right after school." Allison answered nervously and I could that she didn't really like where this conversation was going. We'd heard Lydia talk about sexual things many times and we knew that when she was on the topic, she went a little overboard.

"Hmm…" Lydia thought for a moment, tapping her fingers on her chin.

"Okay! I'm going to escort myself from the conversation before I learn about the birds and the bees." I said loudly, shoving myself in between the girls after the bell had rung. I looked towards Allison with a weak smile. "Have fun, Ali. She's a handful." I whispered to her and her eyes widened before I ran off in the other direction.

"Remember! Dinner at 5!" Allison called down to me and I sent a thumbs up over my shoulder before shoving out the front doors.

I had forgotten how anxious I was to see what happened to Derek. He was obviously still around if Scott and Stiles were still around. I wasn't sure just exactly how Scott and Stiles were going to save him but I was eager to see the three of them together. I needed visual confirmation that Derek Hale was with Batman and Robin.

I made it out the front doors and scanned the lot for the familiar blue Jeep. I bounced on my toes, ignoring the shoulder bumps I got from the other students walking out to their cars. I huffed when I couldn't find the car and then rushed down the front steps of the school. I made it to the curb and wasn't surprised to see that Andre hadn't showed up yet. She mentioned she'd be a little late today and I told her it was fine. Now, I was really glad I had told her it was okay. I could leave and never see the group.

I then began to weave my way through the parking lot in search of the Jeep. I had only been in the lot for a few seconds when I suddenly heard the loud noise of tires screeching against pavement. I snapped my head in direction of the sound and shuffled forward to get a better look. I recognized the blue Jeep and my eyes widened when I saw just who was standing in front of that Jeep. Derek looked worse than when I saw him and my adrenaline had spiked when I thought Derek was about to get hit the Jeep. Stiles was in the driver's seat and he had a wild look on his face from almost running him over. He honked his horn a few times and I gritted my teeth, shaking my head. Then, I watched as Derek clutched his stomach, falling backwards onto the pavement.

"Shit!" I cursed out loudly and then rushed forward. I stopped just in front of Stiles and spun around to look up at him. "What the hell did you do!?" I yelled, kicking the tire on the Jeep and making Stiles jump back in his seat.

"I—I didn't do anything!" Stiles argued, throwing his hands up and shaking his head. "He came out of nowhere!"

"I told you he was here, dumbass." I grunted, rolling my eyes and turning my attention down to Derek who was breathing heavily on the pavement. "What's going on with you? Is the wound getting worse?" I murmured, glancing around as people began to look at the scene unfolding in front of them. I got to my knees and did not dare touch Derek. I was afraid I might break him or something.

"Help me up." He muttered to my inconvenience and I locked my jaw.

"Derek, I don't wanna hurt you." I answered, shaking my head. I looked around and saw that people had gathered around. Their eyes were landing on me and the guy currently resting on the ground in front of Stiles's Jeep. This looked worse than it actually did. It looked as if Stiles had hit him.

"Tessa, sit me up!" he growled, annunciating his words dangerously. I decided not to let him get any angrier and wrapped my arm underneath his back. I lifted him up with as much strength as I could manage and tried not to tip over on my knees as much of Derek's weight fell onto me.

"For a skinny guy, you're heavier than a freaking whale." I gritted through my teeth as I shifted him enough to where the two of us were comfortable.

"Tessa, oh my—what happened?" Scott suddenly appeared from around Stiles's Keep and his eyes widened when he saw Derek lying in my arms. "Is—is he…?" Scott stopped and Derek emitted a low growl in the back of his throat.

"I'm not dead, you idiot!" He snapped and I felt his chest rumble against mine. I rolled my eyes and then looked up towards Scott.

"He collapsed in front of the Jeep." I told him, nodding my head up towards Stiles who was unbuckling himself from his seat. "I—I couldn't just let him lay there. Apparently, Stiles's legs are paralyzed."

Stiles made a small noise of protest as he stumbled out of the Jeep. He came to stand beside us and looked down at Derek. Then, his eyes moved over to me. I could see a mix of worry and then…anger repel into his pupils. I swallowed and then looked away from him uncomfortably. Derek hands were clutched to his chest while mine were wrapped around him. He was getting heavier the longer I held him there.

"Do you not understand that everyone thinks I hit him?" Stiles hissed insanely, waving his arms around at the crowd on the sidewalks. "Excuse me for being mildly terrified of the sickly looking guy that just walked out in front of my Jeep."

"Stiles, I told you he was here!" I argued, making sure not to move my arms around like him. "And why were you leaving? Derek wasn't even with you." I asked, narrowing my eyes and then trying to contain my anger.

"Tessa, I—"

"Just shut up and help me get him inside your car." I cut him off, trying to stand up. It was then I realized just exactly how heavy this guy was and proceeded to wobble backwards against the weight. I felt a hand on my back, steadying me and then the some of the weight was lifted off of me. I looked over to see Scott and he shot me a small smile. I quickly smiled back and then we walked over to the passenger side of the Jeep. With a little less struggle thanks to Scott, we got Derek in the Jeep. I shut the door and Scott stepped off to the side. I leaned up on my tiptoes and looked at Derek. "Promise you won't die on us?"

"I can't promise anything while I'm still dying." He said seriously but I could hear a small hint of amusement in his tone. I reached forward and cautiously squeezed his shoulder. He looked down at me and that's when I suddenly saw something not very natural. His eyes flashed a florescent blue, the entire iris glowing. My own eyes widened and he slammed his eyes shut, turning his head away from me.

"What was that?" I asked him barely over a whisper, my jaw going slack.

"Nothing. Go." He ordered, slapping his hands over his eyes. I swallowed thickly and then stepped backwards. I heard the door slam on the other side and I ran around.

"You are so lucky that I am not beating your ass right now." I snapped, crashing my hands down on the seal of the open window. Stiles jumped in his seat and then flung his body around to look at me with a terrified look.

"Tessa, I—I know this is really bad and you really don't like me right now, but I had a very good reason for this." He explained quickly, holding up his hands in mock surrender. I narrowed my eyes and scoffed.

"Really? You were going to leave him here and let him die? Stiles, you—you said that you would help him!" I was practically squeaking and I hated it. I was desperate—desperate for Derek to find help. Stiles was letting me down.

"I know!" Stiles cried back just as desperately. He exhaled deeply and then rubbed his face quickly. I watched him nervously, honestly surprised at his actions. I swallowed thickly and then looked down at my shoes.

"Stiles,"—I murmured and I could feel his eyes on the bottom of my head—"I'm just…scared."

I lifted up my head and was met with his eyes. There was a split second where the world seemed to dissolve around me and the only I could see was Stiles. I wasn't sure if it was the same on his end but it didn't matter to me. Stiles had currently been the only one keeping me from losing my sanity all week—ever since the bus attack. I didn't know why exactly I felt this way but I sort of liked it. It was a nice feeling to feel calm and relaxed every now and then. I doubted Stiles even knew he did this to me. I would never tell him. I wouldn't ever tell anyone because then that would bring along the "oh, you like Stiles!" conversation and that wasn't really the case. I didn't have any romantic feelings towards the boy but I didn't entirely hate him. I had completely forgotten about being angry with him for the party dilemma but if Allison could forgive Scott, I could forgive Stiles. And besides, he already seemed like he was pretty upset about it when he talked to me at the hospital the day Jackson got his shoulder checked out.

I absolutely hated telling Stiles that I was scared. I wasn't lying, obviously, but I wish that I could lie and say that I was fine. I felt guilty for being scared. Derek was the one dying and Scott and Stiles now had the responsibility of saving his life. I was just the messenger and the helpless bystander. I wanted to rush Derek to the hospital and shove him towards the first doctor I found but Derek refused to let me do so. I also was nervous about being around Derek even more than before. His eyes had flashed blue. I knew that was defienently not something I see every day. I tried not to let it dwell on me too often. I blamed it on the sun burning into my skin while I massively freaked out. I would probably think about it later but it wasn't later.

I suddenly felt a weight on my hand and the world clicked back into reality. I blinked and then looked down to see the weight placed on my hand. Stiles hand was resting upon mine. His was sideways and he was squeezing my fingers while they rested on the window seal. I was able to find a sense in comfort of holding Stiles hand when I reacted and ran my thumb over the top of his hand.

"You don't have to be scared, Tessa." Stiles murmured to me and I shook my head, licking my lips.

"Stiles, you don't understand." I told him. "You—you get to go save him while I stay back, waiting for a phone call telling me if he's dead or if you somehow managed to save him." I tried to add some sort of humor and it elicited a small smile from Stiles.

"You still think Scott and I are idiots, don't you?" Stiles asked, cocking up an eyebrow.

"I will always see you two as idiots, are you kidding?" I scoffed, laughing quietly. "But I have some faith put into you two."

"Thanks for the support." Stiles drawled back sarcastically, frowning and sitting back in his seat yet he never released my hand. "We'd better get going."

"Yeah, he isn't getting any hotter." I mumbled, leaning to the side to look at Derek who had his head back, holding his arms, with his eyes closed. I didn't fail to see the small glare Stiles shot at me when he thought I wasn't looking. "You call me as soon as he gets better, you hear me? I swear to God—"

"Tessa, nothing is going to happen to him." Stiles cut me off and I turned my attention back to him silently. "I promise you, okay?"

"Okay." I answered and that's when I stepped back. My hand slipped out of his and I never realized the buzz in the tips of my fingers. I clenched my hands into fists and then waved as the Jeep suddenly drove out of the parking lot. I watched as he turned the corner and then looked around to find that Scott was gone. The waiting game begins.

* * *

"Knock, knock."

I looked over my shoulder as my bedroom door opened. Andre poked her head through the small crack and there was a warm smile placed upon her face. "Hey there, Einstein." She greeted, her eyes scanning across the piles of books I had stacked on my desk. She opened the door wider and stepped in more, keeping her hand on the doorknob.

"Calling me Einstein would indicate that my brain works at a higher capacity than the average high school student." I informed her, shoving a highlighter behind my ear and spinning back around in my chair to look at the math papers I was working on.

"Wow, look at all that vocabulary." Andre mused, strolling towards my bed and sitting down at the edge of it. I quirked up the corner of my mouth and created a line to separate my finished problem from my new problem I was evaluating. "You haven't gone out lately—not sense Stiles took you out for dinner."

"He did not take me out for dinner." I argued, pointing a finger at her and not letting my eyes leave the paper. "He shoved curly fries in my face and begged me to eat them while people looked at us funny."

Andre snickered and shook her head. "I never thought you'd be friends with someone like him." She told me honestly. "Those are the types of people you've punched in the face because they annoy the hell out of you."

"Oh there has totally been some times where I debate slamming his forehead into the lockers." I reminded her, scoffing softly and bobbing my eyebrows. "I just have that constant reminder in the back of my head that I could essentially end up somewhere without you, remember?"

"I think about it every day." Andre murmured back in response and I turned my head to look at her. She had her eyes down and was picking at a loose thread on her jeans. I could tell how she was feeling without seeing her face. She was still worried about me and she had a right to. I was unpredictable and I knew that. Of course it made me feel bad because I put stress on her shoulders.

"Hey," I whispered to her softly and got up from my desk. I came and took a seat behind her and she looked over at me. "I—I know I've done some shitty things in the past but—but I'm working on it, alright?"

"I know." Andre replied, lifting up her hand and placing it on my shoulder. "You've been really good, Tessa. I'm proud of you." She squeezed my shoulder and then gave me a comforting smile.

"Thanks, Dre." I gave her the same smile and she wrapped her arm around my shoulder, pulling me to her side. I rested my head on her shoulder and shut my eyes, sighing. I relished in the moment, glad to be in it. Andre was the last person I had in my life. I considered my mom a stranger lost in the crowd. I was planning on never seeing her again and it made my transition easier to Beacon Hills. Of course I couldn't possibly see Andre as my mother figure since she'd been my sister forever, but she was becoming one of my best friends. Sadly, she was one of the best friends I couldn't exactly tell everything to. I couldn't tell her about Derek but I wouldn't tell Lydia or Allison about him either. It was easy now but I felt like it would get harder.

"I'm glad you've made such good friends too." Andre said, her voice vibrating her shoulders. "Allison and Lydia are such dolls."

I smiled weakly then I frowned. I thought back to the fight Lydia and I had gotten into today. Even though it was slightly resolved, I still felt a pit grow in my stomach just at the thought of it. "Lydia and I fought today."

"You what?" Andre asked calmly, moving her arm off of my shoulder and turning her head to look at me.

"Yeah." I breathed out, running my hand through my nodded hair. "It was basically about her wanting me to be so much like her."

"Oh…" Andre drew out, nodding her head slowly. "I've had my share fair of those fights before."

"Really?" I inquired, cocking up my eyebrow and looking at her.

Andre glowered slightly. "What? You don't think I've been friends with the Golden Girl before?" She challenged and I rolled my eyes, snorting.

"No, that's not what I'm saying." I replied back, jutting out my chin and shaking my head. "I'm saying that, like, I didn't think people had those fights all the time."

"Of course they do." Andre informed me, shrugging her shoulders. "Some people just keep it to themselves, that's all."

"So what _you're_ saying is that I shouldn't talk about it?" I countered her, raising my eyebrows and turning to cross my legs over my bed.

Andre narrowed her eyes. "You're a perceptive little girl, aren't you?"

My jaw dropped open with an offended scoff. "Uh, I am not perceptive, are you kidding me?" I practically squeaked. "If—if anyone's perceptive, it's you."

"That is so not me." Andre defended back. "Fine, it's not either of us." She concluded, holding up her hands.

"It is so not either of us." I laughed, shaking my head and she rolled her eyes.

"Whatever. The point is that I had a fight like that with my best friend when I was in high school." She explained, turning to face me like I had faced her. "It eventually subsided and we got over it. It made us better friends, honestly."

"Well, that's good. I expected it to be more dramatic." I mumbled, shrugging my shoulder and scratching the back of my head.

"What? You think I live in a Nicholas Sparks novel?" Andre badgered and she grinned at me.

"I don't know. Do you?" I asked lowly, slowly cocking up an eyebrow and making her laugh happily. "But…you said this girl was your best friend."

"Yeah, she was." Andre mused, recovering from her laugh. She looked at the dazed look on my face and narrowed her eyes. "And I can see it on your face. You aren't sure if Lydia is your best friend."

I gave her a slightly puzzled look but then shrugged. "I don't know." I slurred, picking at my blanket. "We just argue all the time and she always seems constantly disappointed in me. Not to mention, she judges the crap out of my clothing."

"She's a control freak." Andre told me bluntly and I furrowed my brow. "Trust me, I've noticed before."

"I don't think anyone could miss that." I mumbled to myself.

"You're gonna think I'm an idiot by saying this but you have to understand that everything she does, is how she is built. That is how she makes friends and stabilizes her friendships. Of course you guys are going to argue but its pointless banter. That'll never end. You just have to realize that you and Lydia have different views when it comes to making friends and forming relationships." Andre explained, resting her hands on mine. "And obviously it isn't that bad because you've stayed with her this long. I know that everything isn't always picture perfect but there's some times where everything around you just seems that way, right?"

"Right." I replied smiling weakly and nodding my head. Andre squeezed my hands and smiled back at me warmly. Before we could continue talking, my phone beeped on my desk and I got up from the bed. "Mr. Argent's here."

"I almost forgot." Andre told me, climbing up from her spot. "I'll only be serving for one tonight."

"Lucky you." I grumbled, shoving my phone in my pocket. "I have to go sit through a dinner filled with the most terrifying people in the entire world."

"Oh come on, they're not that bad." Andre rolled her eyes and wandered over towards my bedroom door. "It's not like they'll whip our knives and try to mug you of your dignity."

"Get out."

"Going."

Honestly, the car ride went a lot different than I expected. First off, there was a bright green Kia parked in the front and a blonde woman was sitting in the driver's seat. She had gotten out of the car and introduced herself as the famous Aunt Kate. Allison was right—we were practically the same person. Our introduction was filled with laughs and Kate constantly sending jabs towards her brother who managed to crack a smile. He seemed more relaxed and calm around his sister. On our drive to the house, Kate and I made small talk. She asked me about my sister and how I was doing in school. She asked me about Allison but she never went into uncharted territory. She appeared to steer clear of any talk that could lead to why I only lived with my older sister and why I moved to Beacon Hills. I was starting to think maybe Allison had mentioned something to her but I hadn't told Allison anything. I was starting to think maybe it was becoming obvious. I expected as much. I couldn't keep it hidden forever.

When we got to the house, I offered to help bring in the groceries they got from the store before they'd picked me up. It was greatly appreciated and I followed Kate through the front door while Mr. Argent took a box inside the garage.

"Hey, Chris!" Kate called from the kitchen as I set down a few bags on the counter. "Get your ass out of the 50's and come help with the groceries." She jerked her head towards the garage and I snickered softly, covering my hand with my mouth. She smirked at me as we waited for a response from the older man.

"Be right there!" He shouted back and Kate pouted mockingly at the lame reaction. I rolled my eyes and then began to unload some of the vegetables from the bags. I had my back turned and heard more than one pair of footsteps. With a furrowed brow, I turned around and saw not one, not two, but three people emerge from the garage. My eyes widened when I saw two flushed faces, hunched shoulders, and a very unhappy Mr. Argent. Scott and Allison were still together but why were they in the garage? That probably explained the angry father. The couple did not look at me once and went out to the car with Mr. Argent to gather more groceries.

After I finished unloading my bags, I followed Allison and Scott out to grab more. Once we got to the trunk, I looked over my shoulder to check for the other adults but they were inside still unloading their own groceries.

"I'm sure it was a lot better before we showed up." I muttered out of the corner of my mouth to Allison who shot me both an embarrassed glare and a furious one. Scott looked over at me too but he still had the permanent kicked puppy expression.

"Not now, Tessa. Seriously." Allison huffed and snatched three bags out of my hands. She stormed back inside the house and I watched her go with an irritated emotion. It wasn't my fault she had probably been caught making out in the garage. They should have been studying like they had said but obviously Lydia was right.

Scott was the last person to get the bag but Mr. Argent didn't allow him back inside the house. He took it away from him as I watched from the foyer silently. Allison walked beside me and made her way out to the front porch.

"So…do you still want to study?" Scott asked Allison as Kate came around from her green Kia. I decided to make my way all the way towards the front door and stopped just before going outside.

"I think she'll concentrate better on her own." Mr. Argent answered for Allison, practically cutting Scott off.

"Um…" Scott pressed his lips together and slapped his hands down at his sides, obviously still uncomfortable with the situation. "Guess I'll see you later then?"

"At school." Mr. Argent once again interjected and I rolled my eyes, groaning internally. It honestly wasn't as big of a deal as Mr. Argent was making it.

"Scott-"

"Eh, eh, you,"—Mr. Argent cut off his daughter and pointed towards Scott—"on your bike. You, inside." He gestured for Allison to go back inside the house and I sighed softly, giving her a defeated look.

"Oh, come on, Chris." Kate suddenly intervened. It seemed that almost everyone had forgotten that she was there and we all turned to look at her. "Really? They were making out in the garage—not shooting amateur porn." She rejected and I practically had to plug my nose to keep from bursting into laughter. No one else seemed thoroughly amused by her statement and remained silent against her. "You, with the adorable brown eyes,"—she rested her hand upon Scott's shoulder as he turned his head to look at her—"drop your bike. You're staying for dinner."

"Oh shit." I hissed out softly and as glad no one had heard me. As if the situation couldn't get any worse for Scott, Kate had just eliminated the option of him pedaling away to his freedom of the Argent household.

Needless to say, dinner was basically the most corrupt parent interrogation of the only daughter's first boyfriend in the history of parenting. I practically choked on my steak twice, almost snorted water out of my nose, and had to excuse myself when the absolute most awkward silence fell over us. Kate would nudge me here and there and tell Mrs. Argent about how I just moved here and was one of her favorites. I was flattered but didn't miss the dark glare the woman shot at me. I tried to ignore it and focus on my friends sitting across the table getting verbally assaulted both ways. I was relieved when dinner was finally over but the couple was not relieved of their horror. Kate had accused Scott of digging in her bag and he refused of doing so. I hadn't seen Scott leave and I was ready to back him up even if it was against the insanely cool aunt. Turns out, Allison had gone into Kate's bag to get a condom. I learned tonight that if things ever seemed bad with the Argents, they would always get ultimately worse.

Yay me.

* * *

 **AN: I honest to God thought about taking the entire talk with Andre out of the story but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I hadn't given Andre and Tessa really a time to sit down and talk to each other as sisters. Besides, I felt like I've been starting to leave Andre out of the story a little bit and I love her so much! I had a habit of doing that sometimes. I forgot I have someone else leave with my main character and completely leave them out of the plot. Anyways...trust me, I remember Tessa lives across the street from Scott. That will become handy.**

 **As always, please leave reviews, I love reading them!**


	10. Chapter 10

"Now, Hoosiers is not only the best basketball movie ever. It is the best sports movie ever made." Jackson explained from the front seat, sounding more passionate about the movie than anything that walked the planet Earth. I couldn't blame him. He was desperate. He didn't want to get stuck watching the Notebook and to be quite honest, I didn't want to end up watching it either since Lydia had decided to drag me along for her movie night with Jackson.

"No." Lydia replied almost instantly and I sighed, sagging in my seat in the back of her small black Beetle.

"It's got Gene Hackman and Dennis Hopper." Jackson told her sternly, blinking his eyelashes quickly and Lydia did not tear her eyes away from the video store we'd just pulled up in front of.

"No." my friend once again repeated.

"Lydia, I swear to God you're gonna like it."

"No." Lydia pursed her lips this time and shook her head. I rolled my eyes and clawed down the sides of my face. We were obviously not going to get anywhere with Jackson's wimpy ass standing down to his girlfriend.

"Okay, well, let us be reminded that not everyone in this car has a love life! I hate watching romantic movies with couples." I told her, leaning forward and sticking my head in between the seats. "All they do is make out and remind me of how lonely I am."

"Everything you just said was a lie." Lydia shot back nonchalantly as she began to pick at one of her painted nails. "You hate couples because you don't like the entire concept of dating. You love being alone. You told me so."

I frowned in defeat. Maybe this was as easy as I thought it would be. Besides, I was too tired to continue the argument with her. She'd picked me up while I was falling asleep on notebooks in my bedroom.

"I am not watching the Notebook again!" Jackson shouted out angrily, still staring at his girlfriend who did not spare him one glance. Lydia slowly looked at him through the corner of her eyes, a smirk playing on her lips. I narrowed my eyes at her turning my head in alignment with Jackson's. We were both looking at her suspiciously.

"If you don't get out of my car in five seconds, I will make sure that every movie night we will watch the Notebook." Lydia gave her boyfriend a pointed look and then looked towards me. "And I will come to your house at five a.m. every morning to dress you and I'll remind you that I haven't forgotten about your precious little shoes."

My eyes widened even though she was using a sickly sweet threat. Jackson seemed to shift in his seat and I knew that we had lost the battle. Of course I had to go inside with Jackson because I had decided to intervene in their argument. I growled loudly and then shoved myself through the back door of the car. I slammed it as the same time Jackson's did and after a few seconds, I heard a small click. Lydia had locked the doors. My jaw dropped open and she could see me in her rearview mirror. She smirked and then clicked on the radio, blaring it louder than even my ears could handle. I gave a weak look to Jackson who shook his head and began making his way towards the video store. He held the door open for me as we walked inside.

I looked up at the flickering lights above us and heard faint voices coming from the T.V way far back into the corner. Jackson walked up beside me and glanced around quickly before beginning his task to find the movie Lydia so desperately wanted to watch. I turned down the aisle across from him and read each movie title but was not finding the one that we were looking for.

"Can somebody help me find the Notebook?" Jackson called out loud when it turned out that he hadn't been able to find the movie either. We exchanged annoyed glances and I wandered over to go stand beside him. The entire store stayed silent. "Hello?" Jackson called out, holding his hands up at his sides. "Is anybody working here? You gotta be kidding me." He continued on when the store kept quiet.

I huffed and crossed my arms over my chest, strolling down the main aisle in search of an employee that could help us. I scanned each row as I went by and chewed on the inside of my lip when I wasn't finding anything. I turned my head and suddenly stopped when I saw a ladder in one of the rows of movies. I frowned and then slowly scanned my eyes over to the left and my blood went cold in veins. There were a pair of black boots sticking out from the edge of the aisle and I heard Jackson stop behind me. I didn't stop to look over my shoulder at him and then moved forward. I came closer and when I got to the aisle, I slowly peeked around the corner.

I shot backwards with a terrified gasp, my hand clutching onto my mouth. I hadn't realized I'd bumped into Jackson who placed his hands on my shoulders and pulled me away from the man collapsed onto the bookshelves, large slashes cut into his throat. His entire body was covered with blood and his mouth and eyes were wide open with fear. As if he were trying to protect me from the motionless man, Jackson pulled me closer to his chest and I kept my mouth covered with my hand. "Jackson, oh my God…" I whispered through my fingers and Jackson didn't respond to me. I shuffled backwards but accidently moved too fast for Jackson. He stumbled backwards, bringing me with him and we knocked into the ladder I had seen before. The lights hissed out loudly as the ladder fell and Jackson released me to move away. The lights went out in the store and the only sort of light we had was the red neon sign from outside.

"Tessa? Tessa, are you still in here?" Jackson called out into the darkness. I rested my hand on his shoulder softly and he looked through the redness to see me nod. Then, the light we'd knocked flickered, buzzing electrically throughout the room. Through the buzzing, I heard an unfamiliar sound. Jackson and I both turned around upon hear the sound and when I caught sight of what made the growl, my breath caught in my throat. When the red eyes caught us looking at it, a large snarl erupted from the dark figure.

Jackson grabbed hold on my arm and jerked me to hide behind one of the shelves. I fell down right beside him, our shoulders pressed against each other as we breathed heavily. I closed my eyes and swallowed, tipping my chin up towards the ceiling. When I finally regained some sort of bravery, I began to crawl down the aisle away from Jackson. I peeked around the corner once I got to the end but found nothing. I scooted out of that aisle and then slid myself into the aisle across from his. I suddenly heard clattering from Jackson's end and looked over to see a few movies fall from the shelves as the shelf rocked slowly. I clenched my fists and watched closely. It was then I saw the shelves falling together, knocking one another over. I tried to move back towards Jackson but the shelves were moving faster than I could crawl. My heart thudded in my chest as I struggled to crawl back towards hm and before I could get there, Jackson tried to jump out of the way but his legs became caught underneath the shelves.

"Jackson!" I shrieked and leapt to my feet. I walked over the fallen movies and shelves and slid down beside him on my knees. "Jackson, holy—are you okay?" I breathed out helplessly, placing a hand on his shoulder.

He nodded slowly. "Go get Lydia." He ordered me through gritted teeth and I didn't need to be told twice. I scrambled up from my knees and sprinted towards the front door. I shoved through them and took a sharp turn to stand in front of the car. The music was still blaring loudly from her car and she hadn't seemed to see me.

"Lydia! Lydia, please!" I cried, jumping up and down while waving my arms like a maniac. She continued taking pictures on her phone and ignored me.

I went to scream for her again but I heard loud thuds from behind me. I spun around and I could see the dark figure running straight towards the window. I jumped to the side but didn't get away in time. The beast came pounding through the glass and the impact knocked me to the ground. I rolled into the front of Lydia's Beetle and struggled to cover my face from the glass raining down on top of me. I felt pieces of glass fall onto the hoodie I was wearing but was glad to have not been cut or hit by the sadistic thing that had just jumped out the front window of the video store. Once I felt like I could move again, I slowly rolled over onto my knees and crawled forward. I poked my head around Lydia's car, temporarily ignoring her screams, and checked to see if the thing was gone. When I looked around the corner, I suddenly saw it again except it was brighter out here than it was inside the video store. It made this experience much more terrifying.

It was large—bigger than any animal I'd ever seen. It was resting on four legs covered in gray skin and thick black tufts of fur. There were long dark claws sprouting from each toe on the thing's feet and they clicked against the pavement. It was hunched over oddly like a human but the face begged to differ. The snout was shaped into something like a wolf, loud breaths coming from the nose. Underneath the snout was a pair of snapping jaws, four yellow fangs poking out from the mouth. Above the nose were two eyes I would never ever forget in my life. Bright red irises stared at me with a black pupil in the middle. It reminded me of Derek and the way his eyes had lit up when he talked to me in Stiles's Jeep. They looked different than an animals and this made my entire chest seize up painfully.

Its eyes narrowed and a low growl emitted from the deepest parts of the thing's throat. I let out a small gasp and shot back around the car, pressing my back against the Beetle. Lydia had stopped screaming and I could hear her small voice calling the police. I swallowed and licked my lips, shoving a strand of loose hair behind my ear. I listened carefully and heard the low growl fade away indicating the thing had took off. I let out a sigh of relief and dropped my head back, letting my eyes flutter closed for a second. I was about to let myself calm down and relax when I suddenly remembered who else was here besides Lydia and I. "Jackson!"

I fumbled on my toes as I tried to stand up to get to the doors. I managed to shove myself upwards and didn't fail to notice the pain on my side. I looked down and then moved my hoodie off to the side to lift up my shirt. There was a large purple bruise from my hip to the top of my ribcage and the more I looked at it, the more it hurt. I grunted and then dropped my shirt, smoothing it out before continuing on inside the video store.

It took a second to let my eyes adjust to the darkness but it would take a blind man to not find Jackson. He hadn't moved from the spot where I'd last seen him but I doubted that would be very easy. I hurried over to him and got down on my knees. He was groaning and his head wasn't facing towards me. He tried to use his arms to get the shelf off of him but his upper body strength could do nothing for him. I placed my hands on the edge of the shelf and pushed but it didn't budge. I cursed silently and then scurried around to sit by Jackson's head. I decided not to say anything to him yet and stuck my fingers underneath the side of the shelf. I moved so I was crouching on my knees and then, I pulled up with every single ounce of strength I had. I began to lift up the shelf to my surprise and when Jackson could maneuver his arms enough, he began to help me. Finally, he had enough space to wiggle out and scrambled forward. I dropped the shelf with a huff and then fell backwards out of weakness.

"Tessa, shit, are you okay?" Jackson mumbled, getting up and hovering over my face. I nodded, breathing heavily and stretching out my arms.

"I—I'm fine." I replied breathlessly and then rolled over onto my side. Unfortunately, that just happened to be the side where I'd been slammed to the ground. It emitted a small groan from me and I flopped back down to lie on my back.

"That didn't sound like you were fine." Jackson told me and I gave him a pointed look. I rested my hands on my chest and pressed my lips firmly together.

"I got knocked to the ground. It's just a bruise." I defended, shaking my head. I thought he'd give up but instead, he did something completely unexpected.

In any other given situation, I would have punched Jackson in the face and told him to keep his hands to himself, but I didn't. He lifted up my hoodie and my shirt, rolling the end all the way up to the top of my ribcage. I could feel his cold fingers graze over the bruise I now had on my side and squirmed slightly underneath his touch. I would have felt uncomfortable almost half naked in front of my best friend's boyfriend but I needed to know from someone else how bad the actual damage was. I would probably take Tylenol and forget about it later but from the size of the thing that made me fall, I could have broken ribs or bruised something inside my body.

Jackson dropped my shirt and I let my eyes fall shut, sighing. "We need to get out of here." Jackson informed and I nodded in agreement. I opened back up my eyes and began to climb back up to my feet. I winced slightly from the pain and Jackson wrapped my arm over his shoulders. I wrapped my other arm around the front of his neck and he put one arm around my waist and the other on my hand to stabilize me. Jackson had been unusually handsy tonight and maybe even protective but it didn't matter right now. I thought maybe he'd be the guy to leave me for dead. That hadn't been in the case.

I hadn't realized that the police and the hospital had already showed up to the scene. They'd gotten Lydia out of her car and lights flashed across the parking lot. I lifted my head and looked to find out where they had taken my friend but the lights were making my head ache. I had been knocked around pretty good and I was still struggling to make sense of everything around me. I had gotten an adrenaline rush when I'd helped Jackson but it was slowly wearing off and I could tell.

I was swept out of Jackson's arms and taken in the opposite direction he suddenly was. There were paramedics holding on to me and talking to one another. They set me in the back of an ambulance and wrapped a blanket around my shoulders. They carefully assessed my body and only found the bruise to be just that—a bruise. I was thankful I hadn't done anything to hurt my body and they said some pain medication would easily help with the pain while the bruise healed. They were ushered away when a familiar police officer came to stand in front of me.

"How's it going, Mr. Stilinski?" I asked with a weak smile. I gave him a curt wave but he didn't smile back at me. He almost had that concerned father look on his face with his hands on his hips.

"Don't think you can just brush this off." He said firmly and I frowned. "I've come to know how you are."

"I'm not just going to brush this off. I'm just going to mention that there might be people who are thoroughly more freaked out than me." I argued, shrugging my shoulder.

"That's exactly what I mean." Mr. Stilinski replied easily and I cringed, wrapping the blanket tighter around my shoulders. "Besides, I made it a personal request to speak with you." He told me and I furrowed my brow.

"Why me?" I asked, shifting in my spot in the ambulance.

"You aren't exactly the friendliest person here." He answered and I rolled my eyes. "But you know me. You don't really like new people."

"What? Did Stiles tell you that?" I teased, jutting out my head and shaking it slowly. He gave me a serious look and I rolled my eyes once again. "Of course he did. He's right now, isn't he?"

"I left him in the car. You don't have to worry about him." He stated, shaking his head and them moving his arms to cross them over his chest. I subconsciously glanced over to the police car parked in front of the ambulance Lydia was currently sitting in. Jackson was standing by her side and she was rubbing his arm soothingly yet she looked terrified. I could see through the dark windows that Stiles was sitting in the passenger seat, curly fries loaded in his mouth. I looked away from him and back at Mr. Stilinski.

"I guess you kind of want to know what happened here. Right?" I asked and he sighed, walking forward to stand closer to me.

"I'm afraid so." He answered. "And I'm very aware that you don't like questioning." He muttered, looking down at the ground.

"It's so redundant. I tell you the same thing over and over again." I grumbled, running my hand through my hair in an irritated manor. I was glad they had given me some pain killers before they'd left. For the amount I was moving, I'd be in pain tomorrow morning. "I might as well just get this over with then."

I proceeded to tell Mr. Stilinski each and every detail of the situation I had just experienced. I hated going through it again and it caused the pain in my chest again. I remembered the red eyes, the growls, and the face of the dead employee. I squeezed my eyes shut after I was finished and then sighed, dropping my head in my hands. It made my forehead ache tenderly and I rubbed the sore skin with my palms.

"Why can't I just go home? I'm fine." Jackson suddenly snapped, his voice sounding closer than it had been before. He'd walked over to stand by Mr. Stilinski and I lifted up my head to look at him.

"I hear ya." Mr. Stilinski replied. "But the EMT's said you hit your head pretty hard. They just wanna make sure you don't have a concussion."

"What part of 'I'm fine' are you having the problem of grasping? Okay, I wanna go home." Jackson said, holding his hands out and using the tone I hated so much. Slowly, I slid down from the ambulance, narrowing my eyes at the boy.

"And I understand that." Mr. Stilinski responded calmly.

"No you don't understand!" Jackson shouted back and I took a defensive step forward, the blanket falling off of my shoulders. "Which kind of blows my mind, since it should be pretty basic concept for you to grasp for a minimum wage rent-a-cop like you! Okay, now I wanna go home!" Jackson was screaming at the top of his lungs and I was tired of hearing his voice.

I lunged forward on my toes and shoved myself in between Jackson and Mr. Stilinski. Before I could stop myself, I placed my palms on Jackson's chest and shoved him backwards with as much strength as I could muster. "I think you need to take a step back, Whitmore." I growled lowly, giving him a deathly serious look. I had stepped forward and was in my stance in which I had mastered over the years. It was the stance I had taken before I was going to fight with someone.

As if the man could detect it, Mr. Stilinski shuffled closer towards me. "Tessa," Mr. Stilinski said softly from behind me and placed his hand on my shoulder. He pulled me back and wrapped his arm fully around my shoulders, pulling me slightly away from the angry teenager. I glared at Jackson dangerously and he looked as if he wanted to kill me. I didn't back down from my protective stance over the officer. Mr. Stilinski did not deserve to be treated this way at all. Besides, he was sort of starting to grow on me and no one disrespected people that made me feel a human emotion.

"Oh, whoa, is that a dead body?" someone suddenly said and I whipped my head around, looking over Mr. Stilinski's shoulder. I saw the gurney in which held the video store clerk and I let out a small gasp, flipping around. I didn't want to look at it. I didn't want to see something like that ever again. When I did turn back around, I saw who had called out the question.

The sheriff kept me under his arm but ushered other people to back up, keeping me close to his side. Everyone did as he asked and the gurney was pulled around to a different ambulance. I swallowed and licked my dry lips, glad that my anger had faded. I resisted the urge to rest my head on the officer's shoulder in effort to relieve myself of my tired eyes. Instead, I blinked intensely and exhaled deeply.

"Stiles, I thought I told you to stay in the car." Mr. Stilinski grumbled, shoving passed the crowd of people and coming to stand in front of his son who was standing up and out of the police cruiser.

I gave Stiles a shy look before diverting my attention back to the ground. "Y—you did but, um, I didn't do that." He mumbled nervously, scratching the back of his neck and shutting the car door.

"Obviously." Mr. Stilinski griped, shaking his head and shifting his stance. His arm fell off of my shoulders and this caused me to look back up.

"Dad, what happened here?" Stiles asked helplessly and he glanced around the entire scene. I didn't miss that his gaze lasted on Lydia a bit longer than other things and he looked down at me. He pressed his lips tightly together and bounced on the balls of his feet. He was perceptibly eager about something.

"They're calling it an animal attack." He answered and I wanted to intervene and say that what I saw was defienently not an animal. "Witness said they saw a mountain lion." He continued and I frowned.

"A mountain lion?" I inquired softly, looking towards the officer. "Is—is that what Lydia told them? Or is that what Lydia told them? Who is them?"

I barely realized that my voice had gotten progressively louder as I asked each question mostly for the fact that I was probably going delirious. How could they say that what they saw was a mountain lion? It looked nothing like that but…what exactly was it? We didn't know and I wasn't sure if anyone around here did. It frustrated me yet made me thrive to figure it out. I could save the town if this was the thing killing everyone in Beacon Hills. It could be the monster that ripped the girl in half in the woods or the one who demolished the bus. Whatever it was, Scott, Stiles, or I showed up at every single crime scene. We were somehow tied into it and that scared me. There was something Scott and Stiles were still hiding from me and I had a guess that it had to do with what I saw tonight jump out the front of the window.

"No one told the investigators anything." Mr. Stilinski answered for me, making sure to cover all of the questions I had asked. "The wounds on the clerk were nearly the same as the man they'd pulled out of the bus."

"So they just think it's another kill from the mountain lion." I figured, raising my eyebrows. "What—what about that girl in the woods? She was ripped in half, not slashed across the throat yet you guys ruled it as an animal attack."

"We think that was a different animal." He pointed out, sighing and scrubbing a hand down his face. "Everything is as mixed up as it seems which is why I don't need you two to make it into that mix."

"Dad, come on, you know that is virtually impossible." Stiles stated, shrugging his shoulder and shaking his head. Mr. Stilinski gave his son a pointed look.

"Stiles, I've told you thousands of times—"

"—stay out of your work. Yeah, I know. I haven't listened thousands of times." Stiles finished mockingly, shaking his head.

"At least he owns up to it." I interjected, sticking out my bottom lip and shrugging my shoulder. "I'd just constantly deny until you gave up trying to be right."

"I'm sure Andre just adores that characteristic." Mr. Stilinski quipped and I smiled proudly—this being the first time I had really smiled all night.

"And I'm sure you just adore me." I chirped and Mr. Stilinski rolled his eyes. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the corners of Stiles's lips quirk up in a small smile. He had his slightly cocked to the side and I flicked my eyes back to the older man. "Ah, you didn't deny it." I teased, poking him in the shoulder. Mr. Stilinski tried to fight it but a small smile appeared on his lips as he shook his head.

"Okay, enough with the bonding here, alright? I don't really appreciate you making friends with my father." Stiles snapped, holding out his hand and placing it on his father's chest. This was the first time we'd spoken tonight and I giggled, grinning sadistically and making Stiles narrow his eyes. "You are trying to ruin my life, aren't you, Bradley?"

"Come on Stiles," I pouted, placing my hands on my hips. "I'm not trying to ruin your life." I informed him. "I'm already doing it."

"You little—"

"Stilinski! You got some other witnesses to talk to!"

Some officers standing on the other end of the crime scene called over their Sheriff. Mr. Stilinski sighed and scrubbed his hands down his face. "Tessa, they already called your sister. Stiles don't let her out of her sight until she leaves." He ordered and then hurried off in the other direction. I watched him go and then looked back to Stiles.

"Great, I got stuck babysitting." Stiles grumbled, shoving his hands in his jacket pockets and resting against the police cruiser. I rolled my eyes and snorted.

"Let's not mention the fact that I got thrown to the ground by a giant something." I pointed out and he gave me a slightly confused look. It was then that I realized he had no clue what had actually happened here. He had no idea what my side of the story was which meant he didn't know about the bruise. "I mean—"

"No! No, you are not going to do the thing were you lie to me about something very, very important." Stiles said, brandishing a finger in my face and shooting up from his leaned position on the police cruiser. "What happened to you?"

"I fell, okay? Wow, big deal." I mocked, holding my hands up and shaking them with a thick roll of my eyes.

"You didn't just fall. You were sitting in an ambulance and my dad just told me not to let you out of my sight." Stiles argued, crossing his arms over his chest.

I narrowed my eyes at him and scowled. "I don't need you worrying about me." I basically spat. "There are more important things to worry about."

"You are important right now!" Stiles squeaked, bouncing on his toes and then sighing. "Look, just…show me where you fell."

"Over there," I muttered and pointed to the broken window behind me.

"You idiot, I mean you said you got knocked to the ground by the…mountain lion." I didn't fail to hear the hesitation in Stiles's voice. "There has to be a scratch or something, just show me."

"I don't think you wanna see that." I muttered, reaching up a hand and rubbing the back of my neck, averting my eyes from Stiles.

"What? Is it gross? Come on, it can't be that disgusting." Stiles defended, rolling his eyes and obviously not understanding what I was getting at.

"Well, it's not that its gross it's just they uh, _placement_ of the bruise." I annunciated, making a face. Why was I getting so weird about this? It was just my side but the bruise went from the top of my ribcage to basically the bottom of my hip. That meant I had to leave up my shirt, show my entire stomach, pull down a small part of my pants, and almost expose my bra to Stiles. I hadn't been too uncomfortable with Jackson because we were literally sitting in the middle of death.

Stiles's face was blank for a moment before his eyebrows shot up to his hairline. "Oh! Oh, I get it." He muttered and then scrunched up his nose. " _Oh_."

"It's on my side, shithead." I spat when I realized that he thought it was somewhere else than it actually was. I guessed that it was partially my fault. So, I decided to suck it up and lift up the side of my shirt. As soon as I did so, his eyes widened and his hands dropped to his sides while his jaw hung slack.

"Holy crap." He muttered and I expected him to be looking in unwanted places but instead, his eyes were specifically fixed on the bruise. I didn't look at the bruise, I watched him. I watched his concerned eyes scan over my battered body and I dropped the shirt when he looked back up at me. "Does—does it hurt still?"

"Not as much as did before they gave me heavy doses of ibuprofen." I answered, shrugging my shoulder and running a hand through my hair. "That thing had a hell of a punch, you know."

"I'm sure." He said and it almost sounded like he was in a daze. I looked him in the eyes and didn't like the look he had while his eyes were stable on me. I licked my lips and then pressed my teeth together lightly, looking around. Lydia and Jackson were now talking to Sheriff Stilinski but Lydia didn't look like she was talking much. She had her head down and her body was still shaking. I wanted to go over and comfort her but something told me to stay put. I'd already mildly pissed off Jackson from shoving him backwards but I'd do it again if he started to yell at Stiles's dad again. "Thank you."

I jumped slightly at the sound of his voice and looked back at my friend. "What?" I mumbled idiotically.

"Uh, thank you, for you know, earlier." He elaborated and then jerked his head towards his father. "Jackson was getting pretty dangerous."

"Oh!" My eyebrows shot up and my face lit up with realization. "Right."

"Yeah, I would have done something else a lot different than you." Stiles said sheepishly, his cheeks turning red for a moment. "But I'm glad you stepped in when you did." He finished and I nodded, wrapping my arms around my torso.

"Of course," I said with a small smile. "I wouldn't let anyone disrespect your father like that."

"Derek is okay by the way. We saved his little ass." Stiles reminded me, gesturing towards me with his hands.

I smiled, my cheeks actually beginning to hurt. "Thank you."

For a split second, the world once again faded away. There weren't flashing police lights or ambulances. There weren't dead bodies or scary monsters. There was only Stiles and me standing together. There were only his eyes fixated on me in a manner that made my stomach feel like a thousand little butterflies had been released inside me. As I had said before, it was a split second. It clicked away when I coughed.

"Are you okay?" Stiles whispered and I knew he wasn't asking about the cough. He was asking me if I was emotionally—mentally okay. He had almost asked me the same thing the day I found the bus. I remember how things I had been between us that day. Things had been different. I'd hugged him and he'd taken me out for curly fries. He had been the only good thing to me that day and it sort of made a different view of my friendship with him.

I wanted to say no and break down crying but I knew I was better than that. I was so much better than that. There were other people who were worse off than me. "Yeah, I'm perfect." I answered, nodding my head but when I said that, I could tell Stiles did not believe one word of it. I sagged my shoulders in defeat. I wasn't convincing anyone of anything tonight and I felt so overpowered. I sighed and then shook my head slowly.

As if I had verbally answered the way I wanted to, Stiles rushed forward. Even though he moved fast, he was careful not to wrap his arms too tightly around my bruise. I had time to move my arms and wrap them underneath his. He kept one hand placed on my head and the other was wrapped around my waist. Stiles held me to his chest and I inhaled the scent of curly fries. I remembered that he'd been shoving them inside his mouth even while he was at a crime scene and the smell brought me some sort of comfort. I closed my eyes and listened to the sound of his heartbeat, my fingers digging into the fabric of his jacket. I felt completely protected in his arms and it was a feeling I hadn't experienced in a long time.

* * *

My eyes snapped open at the air suddenly being knocked out of my chest. I gasped and sat up quickly, flailing my arms around wildly. I snapped my head around and then felt the sudden smack to the front of my face. I fell backwards and then saw a familiar face hover above me. Lydia's face had a frown etched into her lips and there was faint mascara smears underneath her eyes from crying multiple times throughout the night. I wouldn't forget that. It'd kept me up into the early hours.

Lydia had not dared to spend the night by herself. She begged me, practically got down on her knees, to stay with her and I agreed. Andre had picked me up after multiple occasions of her hugging me and asking me if I was okay. I was sort of glad to get away from her once she dropped me off at Lydia's. The girl had already been changed into her flannel blue gown and her hair was slightly messy from the earlier events. We watched movies until she passed out on the couch and I managed to wake her up enough so she'd get into bed. She had slept for a full hour until she woke up, startled by a dream, and started crying. I had soothed her until she collapsed back into another sleep but it was pattern. She woke up crying, I calmed her, she slept, and it started all over again. Mrs. Martin would come in once or twice to check on her and to bring her some water. Lydia was more out of shape than I was. She was still trapped in a state of shock and the doctors had ushered her pain killers so her brain overrode the terrors and made her think of other things. I thought it was efficient and wished they'd give some to me.

"Did you not hear your alarm go off?" Lydia asked me, her voice croaked from probably being woken up by my phone that was lying on the floor next to the bed. "It's been ringing for almost ten minutes."

I blinked the sleep out of my eyes and realized that Lydia had been slapping me with a pillow in effort to wake me up. I could imagine that the constant ringing of the alarm didn't settle well with her.

"Uh, no, I didn't hear it." I answered, pushing myself up with my arms. I reached over and grabbed the phone. I flipped it over and turned off the alarm before it could start up again. There was a text from Allison asking me how Lydia was doing and a text from Stiles saying the same. I didn't answer either of them and swung my feet over the side of Lydia's comfortable bed. It seemed more comfortable now because I was more tired than I had ever been before.

"I hope you plan on getting up from here soon. Today is a very, very important day." Lydia said, poking me in the shoulder. "You have to be my backup."

"What do you mean?" I asked, cocking up an eyebrow and looking at her over my shoulder. She smacked her lips and then sat back on her legs, rolling her eyes.

"Seriously?" She muttered. "Eh, I shouldn't be surprised that you forgot already." Lydia shrugged her shoulder and then rolled backwards to lie on her back. "It's Allison's birthday, FYI."

My eyebrows rose up to my hairline and I shot up out of the bed. "Oh my—I forgot my best friend's birthday?" I whispered in horror, actually disappointed in myself that I had forgotten today. I hadn't even gotten her a present.

"Since I knew you'd probably space it with the millions of other things you have to do in your exciting life"—Lydia drawled on sarcastically as she reached down into her drawer beside her bed—"I helped you out."

The girl rolled back over, holding out what she'd pulled out of her drawer. It was a large white book with multiple colored paints and dozens of brushes strapped to the front. I took it from her and then looked up. "What's this?"

"It's Allison's birthday present, silly." Lydia answered, tapping my wrists. "It's from you, of course."

"Thank you so much, Lydia." I breathed out, holding the thing to my chest and giving her an appreciative smile.

"Oh don't thank me. You're the one who got it." She said and then shot me her famous wink. I smiled at her and she smiled back at me. "Now, go. Get dressed so you aren't late for this very special day."

"Well, didn't you get her a present? Do you want me to bring it to her?" I asked Lydia over my shoulder as I wandered over to the bag I'd brought to spend the night.

"Trust me. I've got my part of the day covered." Lydia mused softly, lying back onto her pillows and letting her eyes flutter shut. Shortly after that, she fell asleep. I took my pain medication and then lied out all my clothes on the empty side of Lydia's bed.

So I wouldn't give Lydia a heart attack, I decided to dress on the girly side again. I had an all-white jumper—a white crop top connected to a skirt stopping right in the middle of the thigh. Still, I wanted to have my athletic culture show and put on a pair of all white sneakers. I used Lydia's curling iron to curly my hair and throw it into a ponytail. She was still passed out when I finished getting ready and I made sure she was all tucked in before I left. I silently bid a farewell and then met Andre who had insisted on taking me to school the next morning. She was parked in the black Range Rover and gave me one of her signature smiles as I climbed in the passenger side. She'd brought me coffee and a bagel which I munched on all the way to school.

I got out of the car after arguing with Andre who said she'd let me stay home if I wanted to. I said I would be fine and I had extra pain meds in my backpack with me if I needed them. My bruise still hurt this morning but the ibuprofen helped soothe the ache. The jumper was loose enough around my body that didn't squeeze and add pressure to the wound. I hurried inside the school—somehow not running into Scott, Stiles, or Allison but when I walked inside the school, I saw Lydia's birthday present come flying out of Allison's lock as soon as she opened it. I grinned to myself and decided to let Allison try to hide the fact that it was her birthday and figured I'd give her the present later. I stopped by my locker and then wandered into English class calmly. It was time to begin a new day.

* * *

 **AN: The amount of character love in this chapter makes me want to hug Tessa myself! She's had it rough man...but she is a tough little cookie! I wasn't about to not add the Lydia scene or the Stiles hugging Tessa scene but I did it anyways because 'aww!' I really enjoyed writing this chapter because this is where things start to get a little bit more interesting. I also wasnt going to add the part where Tessa shoves Jackson but you know what? I want a strong bond between Mr. Stilinski and Tessa because- aside from Melissa- Mr. Stilinski is my fav parent on the show. He deserves to have everyone love him.**

 **Please, please, please leave reviews! I adore them so so so so so much. (Note lot's of so's so that should get the point across) Thank you so much _ClarkeGriffin_ for reviewing! I'm glad you liked that TessaxLydia hug scene.**

 **I love you guys so much, the support is phenomenal.**


	11. Chapter 11

I turned into a spastic mess. Every corner I turned, I was afraid I'd see the beast from last night. If someone slammed their locker, it reminded me of the shattering glass. And every time someone bumped into my side, it reminded me that I had been hurt. Everything around me was a constant reminder of the insane night I had just experienced. This was worse than the side effects I'd earned from the bus episode. My stomach was doing summersaults at the thought of leaving Lydia at home. I was starting to wonder if maybe I should have stayed at home with her but she was insistent on me going to school. Besides, I didn't want to miss Allison's birthday. I still had her present in my backpack.

I clutched onto my backpack straps, taking in a deep breath and frantically looked around at everyone. I expected their eyes to glow. I expected low growls to come from their throats but they were all perfectly human. What I saw last night as not animalistic or human. It was almost _both_ and that made me even more frustrated. I already hated being a freaking scaredy cat—no pun intended—and now I had something else to ponder about that wrapped into the incident that had happened last night. I know Lydia and Jackson had seen it too and I could imagine that they were also wondering just exactly what it was. Sadly, the investigators had told all of the witnesses that what we saw was a mountain lion. Without objecting, we all reluctantly agreed. It was the only leverage we had to hang on to our sanity. A mountain lion had attacked the video store.

I had been so lost in thought—I almost passed by my next class. The only thing that kept me from walking right passed it was an arm latched onto my shoulder. I jumped in the air, gasping, and almost throwing my books to the ceiling. My heart pounded in my chest and for a split second, I was back at the video store. I could hear Lydia's screams and see the red glowing eyes.

"Tessa, Tessa, hey, it's me." Stiles murmured, cautiously placing his hands on my biceps and looking down into my wild blue eyes. "It's okay." Stiles whispered and he cupped his hand to my cheek, trying to connect my eyes with his. When they finally met, I let out a deep sigh of relief and then swallowed thickly.

"You scared the shit out of me." I breathed out heavily, my shoulders sagging underneath his one hand. He let go of my face and then took his hands away from me.

"I—I'm sorry." He muttered, rubbing the back of his neck with flushed cheeks. "I just saw you and you looked like you were in this trance."

"I was thinking." I admitted softly, fixing my backpack on my shoulders. "I'm sure you could guess what I would be thinking about."

"Yeah…" Stiles trailed off nervously and nodded his head.

"I—I just keep seeing the glowing eyes and hearing all of the sounds. The bruise pounds when I think about and it's just so…maddening." I grumbled, running my hand over the top of my head and down my ponytail. "I barely got any sleep last night so I'm exhausted. I'm probably going delusional."

"Hey, you are not going to delusional." Stiles argued, brandishing a finger in my face. "If you were going crazy, you'd be talking to invisible people and having Andre fill out forms to send you on to Eichen House."

"Then why the hell does everything just happen to sound and look like everything from that night?" I asked him carefully, keeping my voice low in case unwanted ears were listening. No one knew that it was Jackson, Lydia, and I last night at the video store murder. Stiles was probably the only kid at Beacon Hills High that didn't have a single rumor to make up about everything. He was my best shot at not losing my mind on everyone. And lately, he'd been the one to calm me down with a single touch.

"It's kind of like PTSD, I guess." Stiles mumbled, shrugging his shoulders.

"Stiles, I don't even know what I saw last night. I can't even panic over what I don't know." I told him sharply, giving him a pointed look. I'd come to the conclusion that the questions running through my head did have answers and a particular boy had those answers. Stiles knew and he hadn't been very subtle about it. "That's why you're going to help me."

"Say what now?" Stiles jaw hung slack for a few moments as he blinked quickly.

"You,"—I harshly jabbed my finger into Stiles's chest—"are going to tell me everything I need to know."

Stiles shoved my finger off his chest cautiously. "I—I don't know what you mean." He stammered, shaking his head.

"Yes you do." I argued, nodding my head. "You know what was at the video store last night, you know what attacked the man at the bus, _and_ you are gonna know why Derek's eyes were glowing blue on Friday."

"You saw them glow?" Stiles hissed lowly, leaning forward on his toes.

"Ha!" I snapped, shoving him backwards and almost making the poor boy fall over. "So you do know why they were glowing."

"I never said that!" He objected offensively.

"But you got that look in your eyes." I pointed out, gesturing towards his panicked golden eyes. "You freaked for a second because you didn't want me to see his glowing eyes."

"That is so not true." Stiles was lying and it wasn't hard to tell. "I—I was simply saying that because that—that isn't something very natural."  
"Stiles, you're stuttering so much I might think you have a disability." I rolled my eyes, shifting my backpack on my shoulders. "You're lucky we're about to be late to chem so get your ass inside that room."

"On it." He muttered and then turned on his heel to shuffle inside the classroom. I followed in behind him and took my seat beside Erica. She gave me a short look before shoving her face back inside her blank notebook. I propped my chin up on my hand and looked over my shoulder. I realized that Scott wasn't sitting in his designated seat and neither was Allison. Lydia obviously wasn't here either but that didn't explain as to why the couple wasn't here. I frowned slightly and then turned back to Mr. Harris.

"Just a friendly reminder, parent/teacher conferences are tonight." Harris announced to the class after he'd assigned us our work to do for today. Of course I had almost forgotten that Andre had to actually attend those conferences because, yay me, I was failing chemistry. "Students below a 'C' average are required to attend." I saw a kid cringe in the front seat theatrically and I sighed softly, rubbing my face. "I won't name you because the shame and self-disgust should be more than enough punishment." Mr. Harris walked toward a few steps and then stopped right in front of Stiles's lab table. "Has anyone seen Mr. McCall?" He asked and looked down at Stiles.

I held in a small snort upon seeing Stiles. Almost his entire book was filled up with yellow highlighter marks and he had the cap inside his mouth. He obviously hadn't noticed the teacher until he looked up with widened eyes. Stiles didn't have a chance to answer because the door for the classroom suddenly opened. I looked back towards the front and my eyes furrowed when I saw who stumbled in looking worse than I'd ever seen him before. He usually had the glowing skin, cocky smile, and dreamy eyes but instead, he looked exactly like Derek did on Friday. This actually brought me to the point where I was worried about him.

Jackson silently walked in and over to his lab table, sitting down. Mr. Harris made his way over to the poor boy and whispered some words to him before backing away. "Everyone start reading chapter nine." Mr. Harris ordered and he waltzed up to the board before stopping again. "Mr. Stilinski. Try putting the highlighter down between paragraphs." Stiles lifted his head up again with the cap still inside his mouth. I smiled but made it fall short before Harris could see it. "It's chemistry, not a coloring book." Stiles stared at Harris back before tipping his head up and spitting out the lid. He caught it in his hand and then gave me a small glare when he caught me looking at him. I rolled my eyes and turned back around, beginning to read the assigned chapter.

I heard small voices coming from behind me later one and saw that Stiles was talking to Danny. I would assume it had to do with either Lydia or Jackson. Danny was obviously not enjoying the conversation with Stiles and I watched them carefully. I was honestly somewhat curious to know exactly what they were saying but I couldn't hear them from this far away. I shifted my gaze over to Jackson who simply gave me a sharp look before jerking his head down to his books. I pressed my tongue to my cheek and then turned back around, bouncing my leg rapidly. I was turned around only for a moment when I suddenly heard the clattering of a lab stool. I snapped to look towards the noise and saw Stiles's stool spinning around the ground as he casually tried to stand back up. He cleared his throat and then gave a curt wave to the class. I rolled my eyes in irritation with an exasperated sigh and then actually read this time.

* * *

"Lydia let go of my skirt!" I gritted through my teeth, trying to move away from her and literally grabbing onto her window drapes.

"It's so pretty." She mused, gripping onto it tighter and then using some sort of inhuman strength to jerk me backwards. I stumbled in my sneakers and to avoid ripping her curtain, let go and fell backwards. I tumbled over her legs and had mine over her's as she laughed hysterically. I huffed out a dramatic sigh and then sat up, looking down at her. "We should do that again."

"No, we should not." I grumbled, fixing my skirt and kicking my legs away. Lydia pouted and sat up on her headboard, crossing her arms over her chest.

"You never let me have any fun with you." She whined. "Why can't you just be a fun person, huh?"

"Shut up." I said with a heavy roll of my eyes as I climbed up from the bed. I made sure to keep a safe distance from her so she didn't grab my dress again. I walked around to her nightstand and picked up her pill bottle. "God, what the hell are they giving you?" I read the label but could barely sound out the first few syllables. "Whatever." I sighed and put the bottle back, setting it in the arms of her small giraffe.

I'd had Andre drive me over here after school since I had still been worrying my ass off about the state of my best friend. Andre had agreed easily and then mentioned she had to head back to the college for a few hours. She said she'd picked me up afterwards and I hoped that was soon. Lydia was fine and I had a visual representation of that but she wasn't exactly Lydia. She was an entirely different person and quite frankly, annoying. I was glad that she wasn't sobbing and crying about deranged animals. I had to tolerate for a little while longer and then I could go home and sleep. Besides, the bruise on my side was thudding with pain. I'd taken another pill but it seemed like it hadn't done a thing. I was tired and just needed to cover myself in blankets for the rest of the evening. Lydia had the luxury of doing that all day.

"Why are you so mean to me?" Lydia groaned, slumping down onto her pillows and looking up towards the ceiling. "I'm so nice."

"You're nice?" I snorted in disbelief, shaking my head and going over to my backpack. "You really must be doped up right now."

I heard Lydia giggle from her spot on the bed, waving her hands in the air. "I want to be like this forever." She told me happily. "I like it."

"Oh, so do I." I muttered, bending over and pulling books out of my back. I set them down on the empty side of her bed. "I brought you homework. When you're sane, you should get it done."

"Homework sucks." Lydia spat in a childish voice, slamming her hand down on the side of the math book. "I'm not doing."

"Yes you are." I argued, nodding my head and making her roll her head in my direction. "If you didn't, normal you would literally have a meltdown. You'd probably shave your head."

Lydia giggled once more. "Tessa, you're so funny."

"Hey, you remember my name." I grinned and then pointed at her. She glared at me and the exemplified that the real Lydia was still in there under all that medicine.

There was a knock from the door behind us and I turned, expecting to see Mrs. Martin. Instead, I saw someone I shouldn't have been surprised to see show up. "Pardon the interruption," the woman said, smiling at me weakly, "But, honey, there's a Stiles here to see you." She finished and Stiles was slowly walking in behind her.

Lydia had flipped over onto her stomach, one hand suspending her head and the other hand was being inspected. "What the hell is a 'Stiles'?" Lydia asked in her usual manor if she didn't understand something. I rolled my eyes and then took a seat on her vanity stool. Of course her brain couldn't understand that Stiles was a name, not a thing. Although I would gladly beg to differ, that wasn't our current case.

"She took a little something to ease her nerves." Mrs. Martin sighed, looking towards Stiles. "You can—you can go in."

"Thanks." Stiles said to her, getting up off the doorframe and walking into the room. Mrs. Martin left, keeping the door cracked and Stiles stopped just a few inches away from the girl's bed who hadn't even bothered to look at him yet.

"I would say I'm surprised to see you here but I'm not." I greeted, scrunching up my nose and shaking up my head. "Why pass up the perfect opportunity to visit your future girlfriend's house without invitation."

"Shut up." Stiles said with the same tone and eye roll I had used on Lydia earlier. "It's not like I was ecstatic while driving here."

"That would explain why the Jeep isn't wrapped around a tree. Your leg would be bouncing so fast, it'd fly up from the brake." I pointed out, jerking my head towards the window and making Stiles glare at me. Finally, Lydia rolled over, putting a hand on her hip and looking up towards Stiles.

"What are you doing here?" She asked calmly and with less irritation she had in her voice earlier. Stiles's head snapped in the direction of Lydia and he glanced at me for a moment before wringing his hands together.

"I was just making sure you were okay." Stiles answered.

"Hm." Lydia turned back over, hair covering her face and playing with her fingers. I sighed and then got up from my seat. I walked passed the boy and over to my best friend, crouching down in front of Lydia. I brushed some of the hair out of her face and she smiled down at me. "Tessa, you're here."

"I've been here for the past ten minutes." I mumbled and then pushed the hair behind her ear. "But, uh, Stiles here,"—I gestured to the boy—"has been worried sick about you all day. He'd appreciate it if you'd let him know you were okay." Lydia stared at me blankly for a few moments as if her brain were slowly processing my words.

"Why?" Lydia asked, pushing herself up and looking towards Stiles. Obviously she was asking why Stiles was worried about her. I stood back up to my full height and she scooted over. She then patted the spot where she'd previously been laying while still making full eye contact with Stiles. He chuckled and then rushed to sit down. I rolled my eyes and resumed my former spot on the vanity chair.

"Because I was worried about you today." Stiles answered to her question. He was tapping his leg and his voice descended as he ended his statement. Lydia lifted up a piece of her hair and began to move her head up and down. "How are you feeling?"

"Oh," Lydia sucked in a deep breath and put her hand on Stiles's bicep. He jumped underneath her touch and I covered my mouth with a laugh. "I feel…" Lydia sat up, getting close to Stiles's face. "…fantastic." Stiles stiffened and I heard his heavy breathing stop.

When she pulled back on slightly, his jaw was hanging slack and his eyes were wide with shock. He chuckled nervously again and then hit his knee a few times with his fist. He moved his eyes down to Lydia's nightstand, seeing the bottle in the giraffe's arms. "Oh!" He muttered and then leaned forward, grabbing the bottle. "I bet you can't say 'I saw Suzy sittin' in a shoeshine shop' ten times." Stiles said, looking at her with an amused smile on her face.

"You're a freaking idiot." I grumbled, rubbing my forehead with my hand.

Lydia cocked up an eyebrow and gave him a look that clearly accepted his challenge. "I saw Shuzy—" Lydia stopped, noticing her mistake.

"Uh…" Stiles held his mouth open.

"I shaw—" Lydia stopped again and Stiles smiled an adorable little smile, setting the bottle back down. I was confused as to why I found it adorable but ignored it. Suddenly, Lydia fell back down onto her elbows, a look on her face.

"Lyd?" I shot up from my stool, instantly worried about my friend. Stiles looked over his shoulder at me and I rushed over, kneeling in front of her.

"I saw…" Lydia muttered, Stiles making a confused expression. I narrowed my eyes and then cocked my head to the side.

"Uh, Lydia, what—what are you talking about now?" I asked with a breathless laugh. There was still a hint of concern in it from the look on her face. "What did you see?" I glanced at Stiles nervously.

"Something." She answered, staring forward into my eyes.

"Something like…?" I shook my head slowly. "Like a mountain lion?"

"A mountain lion." Lydia agreed and I clenched my jaw. Of course they would convince her it was a mountain lion. I wished I could be like that too.

"Are you sure you saw a mountain lion or are you saying that because that's what the police told you?" Stiles asked, leaning down towards her slightly.

"A mountain lion." She repeated again nodding her head. Stiles reached over her and grabbed the stuffed giraffe.

"What's this?" He asked her and she turned to him.

"A mountain lion." She repeated once again and I clapped a hand to my forehead, sitting back on my butt.

"That was completely pointless." I said giving a fake smile and shaking my head curtly up at Stiles.

"You're so drunk." Stiles said and before he could even mentally prepare himself, Lydia slapped her hand on his thigh. Her head tipped forward and her forehead rested on the very top of his thigh. Stiles's mouth opened as he looked like he was chocking. "Oh my—" he basically wheezed out and I snorted, covering my mouth with my hand.

"You're seriously the biggest guy I've ever met." I mumbled, getting up to my feet and poking him in the shoulder.

"Maybe because I am a guy?" Stiles shot back, cocking up his eyebrows but still not letting that chocking noise come out of his voice. I rolled my eyes and ran my hands through my hair. Finally, Stiles got up from the bed, having enough of his moment. He stood at the edge of her bed, his hands shoved in his pockets. "Since I've noticed you don't own a car and you've been checking your phone, I assume you'd accept a ride home from me?"

"Could I hitch a ride in your wagon?" I asked, wincing.

"W—wagon? Are you kidding me?" Stiles scoffed. "Fine, you could just not get a ride home."

"God, quit being such a baby. Sorry, I won't disrespect the wheels man." I mocked in a surfer dude voice.

"Well, I think we're gonna get going." Stiles mentioned to Lydia loudly, gesturing towards the door. I swung my bag over my shoulder and stood in the doorframe, waiting for Stiles. "I'll let you get back to the whole post- traumatic stress thing." Stiles said, ushering me out the door. It was about to shut when Lydia stopped him and me abruptly.

"Stay." She murmured. Stiles spun around, shoving the door open with a very confused expression. I peeked over his shoulder and then glanced up at the side of his head before returning my attention back to Lydia.

I moved passed him and he shut the door before pointing to himself. "Me? Stay?" He inquired and I rolled my eyes.

"I know she isn't asking me, moron." I grumbled and he glared at me quickly before desperately looking at my best friend.

"You want me to stay?" He asked her again and she made a noise as if she were saying yes. Slowly, she sat up and nodded her head with an oddly seductive look on her face. I kept my place by her bedroom door and watched the interaction. She was chuckling and patting the spot where she wanted him to sit again. Stiles rushed over and took his former spot and I sighed, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Yes please." She finally answered verbally, getting dangerously close to Stiles's face again. I wondered what it would be like if Jackson was here. Unless…

"Uh, Stiles," I muttered but I was cut off by Lydia continuously begging him. I didn't have a chance to warn my spastic friend when she suddenly called him by the name I had been anticipating.

"Jackson."

Stiles made a face and then ran his tongue over his teeth, looking away from Lydia. "And…we're done here." He muttered as Lydia fell backwards onto her bed. I laughed into my hand, unable to control my amusement. I spun around and rested my forehead against the door. "Would you stop enjoying this so much?"

"I'm sorry." I breathed out with a wide grin on my face. "Really I am but holy crap." I busted out into another fit of laughter, slapping my legs and jumping. Stiles rolled his eyes and then his head snapped in another direction. I quieted myself and then looked over to where he'd turned. Lydia's cellphone was ringing and she was passed out on her bed. Everything must have worn her out. "I got it." I ran a hand through my curls and then picked up the phone. "It's a text." I told Stiles and I opened it.

There was a video playing and I watched with a furrowed brow. "I don't know how to—" I was going to tell Stiles I didn't know how to stop it when suddenly, the video camera shook violently. Before I could peel my eyes away, I saw something I never wanted to see again. It showed the giant beast shattering through the glass window. Lydia's camera must have been on when this happened and she had recorded everything. I gasped, almost screaming, and dropped the phone to the floor. I stumbled away from it and Stiles shot up from the bed.

"What? What happened? What did you see?" Stiles asked quickly, his eyes frantically overlooking my terrified face.

"Stiles, the video"—I whispered, swallowing and covering my eyes with my hands—"Lydia recorded the animal."

"What!?" Stiles squeaked and fumbled to the pick up the phone I had dropped down onto Lydia's bedroom floor. He picked it up and watched the video himself before letting his jaw hang open with terror. He glanced towards the girl sleeping on the bed.

"I can't let her see that, Stiles." I said firmly, pointing towards the cellphone in his hands. "She—she'll literally have nightmares for the rest of her life."

Stiles had the phone clutched in his hand and the top rested against his chin. "I know, I know." He replied, nodding his head. "I'll delete it."

"But we can't get rid of it." I argued and he furrowed his brow. "We'll send it to one of ourselves first and then we can delete the text and video off of Lydia's phone. She has visual evidence and if I want to find out what this thing is, I need the video."

"No!" Stiles snapped and I frowned at him like a child. "No. If Lydia can't see the video, neither can you. I thought you saw someone die on that video."

"I saw someone die in real life!" I hissed, bouncing on my toes and glaring at him. I sighed before pinching the bridge of my nose and shutting my eyes. "Look, I don't care what kind of precautious you're trying to take here but I need that video. If you won't tell me what's going on, then I'll figure it out myself."

I tried to reach for the phone but Stiles moved away from me, holding it behind his back. "Oh no, you won't. Scott and I have put lots of effort into this to make sure you don't find out…ever." Stiles shrugged his shoulders and I narrowed my eyes.

"So Scott's in on it too then? What about Allison, does she know?" I asked in almost a sickly sweet voice with cocked eyebrows.

"Allison defienently does not know. And, well, basically its Scott thing to tell, not mine." Stiles answered and I groaned, dropping my face in my hands.

"You two are inevitable." I grumbled. "I just want the stupid video. Let me send it to myself."

"No. I'm not going to let you do that to yourself." Stiles said, holding his ground. I let out a growl of anger and then threw my hands down to my sides.

"Then what do you suppose with do with it? Besides, who in the hell would send something like that to her?" I asked, throwing my arm out towards him.

"I—I don't know. That doesn't really matter right now." Stiles answered, blinking his eyes rapidly and waving his arms around. "I'll send myself the video and you can't watch it whenever your pretty little head wants to." Stiles said calmly, waving his hands in the air. I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms over my chest.

"Fine but call Scott after this, got it?" I ordered him, shoving my finger in his chest briefly. "He needs to know that Lydia got sent this video if he's a part of all this."

"Okay, cool, that's fine." Stiles nodded and then shoved Lydia's phone in his back pocket. "How about this—I'll call Scott and you can be there when I call him? I—I need to get home before parent/teacher conferences happen so—so you'll, uh, have to, um…" he trailed off, his cheeks turning red.

"I'm gonna have to come to your house for a little while?" I finished for him and he nodded. I rolled my eyes once again. "Oh my God—this isn't eighth grade, Stiles, seriously. You've been inside my house before."

"Shut up."

"Hey it's me again. Look I found something, and I don't know what to do, okay?" Stiles explained to Scott's voicemail once again. "So if could turn your phone on right now, that'd be great. Or else, I'll kill you. Do you understand me? I'm gonna kill you." He paused for a moment. "And I'm too upset to come up with a witty description about how exactly I'm gonna kill you, but I'm just gonna do it, okay?" I could hear Stiles's voice rising and I crossed my legs on the top of his bed, watching him nervously. "I'm gonna—ugh—goodbye!" Stiles then tossed his phone in my direction and I caught it with raised eyebrows.

"Wow." I mumbled. "That was intense."

Stiles sighed and sat down backwards on his black desk chair. Stiles's room was cleaner than any other boy's bedroom I'd been in before. Even my cousin's bedrooms were messy but Stiles's was clean…except for maybe his desk. It was defienently a boy's bedroom with dark gray painted walls, multiple band and fandom posters scattered across them. He had a bed catty corner towards his door with a shelved headboard that had random things crammed inside. There were a couple other shelves placed around the rooms along with multiple different styles of lamps. Stiles had a smaller bed with light gray sheets and a fluffy dark blue blanket strewn across. It was exceptionally comfortable and the whole demeanor of his room made me feel welcome enough to where I wasn't standing oddly in the middle of his room the entire time I was here. I didn't fail to notice the talk black filing cabinet and surfboard placed beside his desk which held a printer, a laptop, another lamp, and loads of papers.

Stiles had his head resting on his arms where there was suddenly a knock on his bed room. "Gah—!" He practically yelped throwing his hands up as we both looked over to see who'd knocked.

"Please tell me I'm gonna hear good news at this parent/teacher thing tonight." Mr. Stilinski asked with a visible cringe on his face. He was wearing a simple black t-shirt with a black plaid flannel over the top. It strangely reminded me of his son sitting in the chair looking at him with his jaw hanging open.

"Depends on how you define 'good news'." Stiles answered, looking up at him while he played with something in his hands.

"I define it as you getting straight A's with no behavioral issues." Mr. Stilinski replied and I smirked, rubbing the corners of my mouth as I looked over at Stiles who did the whole chicken dance thing like he had when Lydia put her head on his leg.

"You might wanna rethink that definition." Stiles told his father with a grimace, and I chuckled softly to myself, messing with Stiles's phone in my hands.

"Tessa, how do you define good news?" Mr. Stilinski asked me, swinging his head in my direction. I stopped fumbling with Stiles's phone and rose up my eyebrows.

"Um, well, uh…" I paused for a moment, rubbing my neck before clearing my throat. "I define it as a moral perspective of the situation. Like, the grades are bad but—but you know in your heart that your child is just holding back on his natural given abilities because he doesn't want to defiantly show up the rest of the student body."

Mr. Stilinski also raised his eyebrows up to his hairline and nodded slowly. "I'd like to say that's the first time you've said that to someone but is it really?"

I opened my mouth to expertly lie to him but he gave me a knowing look. "I've said that at least three times." I exhaled deeply, nodding my head. "But—but this is the first time that I am fully voicing my opinion without making a sarcastic comment.

"I'm pretty sure that entire statement was sarcasm and a fix of your own imagination." Mr. Stilinski shrugged his shoulder and I flinched, tugging the dark blue blanket into my lap. "Nice try, sweetheart."

"Thanks, Mr. Stilinski." I muttered, giving him a two finger salute.

"Alright, I think that's enough said." Mr. Stilinski murmured to himself and then turned to walk off in the other direction.

Stiles spun around in his chair and opened his mouth to speak. "If you think I was talking about you, don't even say a word." I pointed at him and he nodded, clamping his mouth shut. I smirked in victory and then covered my legs fully with his blanket. "You still have Lydia's phone?" I asked as Stiles turned back around.

"Yeah." He breathed out, nodding his head and grabbing it off his desk. He slid back in his chair to sit beside the bed. He started the video again and I waited for a certain part in the video. I reached forward and tapped the screen, stopping the motion. "W—why did you stop it?" Stiles asked, looking over his shoulder and down at me.

"I stopped it because of that." I answered, pointing towards the blurry picture on the screen. It was the beast I had seen. "I can look at it now and it isn't trying to kill me." I laughed breathlessly and then wiggled the phone out of his hands. I stared down at the animalistic face on the screen and just stared. "That isn't a mountain lion, Stiles and I know you know that too."

Stiles snatched the phone out of my hands and moved back over towards his desk. "Come on Scott." He muttered. "Where the hell are you?" He dropped his face in his hands and I shifted nervously on his bed. I watched as Stiles watched Lydia's phone, his arms crossed over his chest, tongue pressed against his cheek, and leg bouncing at a rapid pace, my eyes struggled to stay in sync. I finally fell backwards onto the young boy's bed, suddenly realizing how tired I was as soon as my head hit his pillows.

"I deleted it."

I didn't dare shoot up and yell at him. I wasn't going to ask why. I wasn't going to throw pillows at him. I wasn't going to get angry with him.

"Good."

My voice was barely above a whisper and I nodded up towards the ceiling. It was better this way. It was better if I didn't see the video ever again and it was a lot better if Lydia never saw the video at all. Of course I wished I just knew exactly what had jumped out those windows but it wasn't Stiles's position to tell me anything. If I should be mad at anyone, it would be Scott. He should have his phone on. He should be answering Stiles's call because something very, very important had happened and apparently everyone needed Scott's consent before proceeding with any plans. I was beginning to understand the extent of this secret since Stiles had told me that he and Scott had put lots of effort into me not finding out. I guess I'd just have to wait until we saw Scott again.

I let out a fatigued sigh and let my eyes fall shut for a few moments. I planned to open them back up and ask Stiles if he had any food around but it felt like my eyelids were being stapled to my eyes. My body relaxed into Stiles's bed which felt suddenly a thousand times comfier and the blanket was warmer. All the noise slowly faded away and left me in peaceful silence. Before I knew it, I'd fallen asleep on Stiles's bed.

 _"Tessandra."_

 _I furrowed my brow, not opening my eyes and sitting as still as possible. There were only a handful of people who knew my full name. That was Stiles, Mr. Stilinski, Andre, and my mother. I hadn't told Lydia or Allison. I wasn't sure why I'd even have a reason to tell Scott or Jackson and of course I wouldn't tell Derek. He wasn't even exactly my friend even if I had freaked out over him almost dying._

 _"Tessandra, open your eyes."_

 _My eyelids suddenly weren't stapled anymore and snapped open against my will. I was looking up into a night sky filled with stars and a very large full moon. It was like I could almost reach up and touch it with my fingers. I glanced around and found that there were trees surrounding me and figured I was in the middle of a forest. This was obviously a dream. I remember falling asleep at Stiles's house, not the middle of the woods. Whoever was calling my name wasn't real and if I pinched myself, I'd wake up and be back in Stiles's room._

 _I pushed myself up on my arms and froze when I saw what was sitting in front of me. Maybe I wasn't in exactly in the middle of the woods but more rather a part of the woods owned by none other than Derek Hale. The charred house was darker and had a creepier degree to it. The moon glowed through some of the windows and throughout the broken pieces of wood that made up the building. I wasn't sure exactly why I was here._

 _"Hello?" I called out, my voice echoing all through the scenery. I scanned the area, twisting my head back and forth but not seeing anything. It was then I heard a low, low, growl and my eyes widened, remembering the familiar sound. I turned my head over my shoulder and the breath in my lungs failed, my chest seizing up._

 _It was the red eyes._

"Tessa! Tessa, relax!"

Someone was shouting at me as I kicked my legs and frantically gasped for air. Arms wrapped around my shoulders clutching me to their chest as another pair of arms kept my legs pinned to the bed. I finally stopped panicking, looking around at my surroundings. Mr. Stilinski was sitting behind me, holding me, and Stiles was at the bottom of the bed, holding my legs down. Stiles had been shouting my name and when I fully understood that I wasn't in my dream anymore, I sagged underneath their hold.

"Bad dream?" Mr. Stilinski asked, squeezing my biceps and I nodded slowly.

"I—I was on the Hale property." I told them, looking blankly at the wall behind Stiles. "There—there was someone calling my name."

"Who?" Stiles asked, carefully removing his hands from my limbs and standing up at the end of his bed. Mr. Stilinski rubbed comforting circles on my arm with his thumb, loosening his hold on me.

"I—I don't know. I didn't recognize the voice." I murmured, shaking my head and blinking a few times. "All I heard was growling and when I turned around…I saw them again."

"Saw what again?"

"The red eyes…"

Stiles stiffened and his eyes widened. Mr. Stilinski moved away from me. "You saw red eyes again? When—when was the first time you saw them?" He asked and I could tell that he was beginning to think different of me. I didn't want those pills Lydia had. I didn't need those pills Lydia had but he didn't understand. So instead of telling him about the video store, I opted for something different.

"I had this dream a few weeks ago." I lied. "I told Stiles about it. It—it's just a dream I get sometimes."

"Ah." Mr. Stilinski responded, nodding his head as he climbed up from the bed. He then checked his watch. "I have to go off to the conferences. I will see you kids later. Tessa, if you happen to stay any longer, there's some leftovers in the fridge."

"Alright, see you later, Dad." Stiles waved curtly to his father who waved back and then left the bedroom. When we were sure he was out of the house, I sighed and then pressed my palm to my forehead, shaking my head. "You okay?"

"Not really." I muttered and then held up my hand. "Don't hug me."

"Noted."

I dropped my hand down into my lap and then got up from the bed. "God, what the hell? I didn't have these dreams last night." I said, wandering over to Stiles's desk. I found a small tin of Altoids and took one, popping it into my mouth. "I don't think you understand how embarrassing this is." I began to pace his room. "Your dad, the sheriff of Beacon Hills, the one who already thinks I'm going crazy, had to hold me down."

"He doesn't think you're crazy, Tessa. Come on." Stiles replied softly, shaking his head and gesturing towards me. "He's just confused and worried, that's all."

"Looks like we're rowing the same boat here, Stilinski." I snapped, glaring at him and continuing to pace. "Did Scott call you while I was sleeping?"

"Nope. He won't answer still." Stiles replied in annoyance making me growl.

"Stiles, I cannot keep going on like this!" I was practically shouting, throwing my hands down to my sides. "Look, I don't want to sound like a bitch or pushy, but if he does not get here before the conferences are over, I will do whatever I have to do."

"For what?" Stiles asked nervously, shrinking away from me.

"To figure out what the hell you're hiding from me."

* * *

 **AN: Ooooh, shit. Badass Tessa is evolving. God, I love writing her so much lmao. Anywaysss, this chapter seriously just drug on and on and on all the way into the freaking hills. I usually hate writing this chapter and the chapters for Heart Monitor because those are so boring to me. Whatever. I'll try to make them interesting ;) I loved the amount of freaking StilesxTessa this chapter! P.S this is going to be a longer AN. P.P.S: The italics in my stories will stand for phone calls and dreams.**

 **So I know it might seem like I'm rushing into the touchy feely right now but Stiles, he's a good guy. He's worried about everyone and besides, Tessa isn't being a total brat to him all the time so their friendship is beginning to evolve. Like, in Season 3, there is a scene where that banshee chick Meredith is screaming and he like holds Lydia's face because her ears are bleeding not to mention he hugs her in the same episode. Tessa needs some loving and some care even though she seems like she doesn't need it but Stiles notices. I will say though, they do not have feelings for each other in the romantically sense. It is purely friendship at this point because I like slow burns man.**

 **As always, I love reviews so please leave them! S/O to _Alexandraashley _ for reviewing! I loved your review so much because you were able to see the whole sarcastic view of Tessa! I tried not to make it so blunt that Tessa is your 'sarcasm is my only defense' kind of gal so thank you :)**

 **Love you all!**


	12. Chapter 12

**AN: So this is kind of unusual. I added another chapter to an episode but this one has a small part from the show and then mostly the rest is from my twitchy little mind. So, it's shorter but it has something very, very exciting at the end :)**

* * *

"Allison?" I muttered, shaking my head and walking down a few steps to see the girl getting up out of her car. Scott was beside her and I flinched, knowing this wasn't going to end well with the parents fighting up behind me. I rubbed the side of my head and then heard the fighting behind me stop. The parents had seen the children in question.

The group stormed passed me to my friends and Andre watched them leave with a small chuckle hidden in her throat. "Wow." She murmured. "How I would hate to be those two right now." She looked over at me and I rolled my eyes.

"Anyone would hate to be them." I pointed out, shrugging my shoulder. "I'm also somewhat pissed at the both of them."

"That wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that neither of them answered their phones all day, would it?" Andre asked me with a grimace.

"Oh it sure would." I chirped back, crossing my arms over my chest as I saw the kids beginning to be interrogated. "I am swear I am going to kill them and—"

I was cut off by a sudden scream echoing through the entire school. Andre gasped, jumping backwards a few steps at the terrifying sound of the shriek. I spun around on my heels, searching for where the scream may have come from but it wasn't easy to tell where. Suddenly, the parking lot burst into insanity. People were sprinting to their cars, burning rubber, and getting the hell out of here. I went to stand beside the curb and continued looking around like I was actually looking for something in particular. I was cut short of my search when I saw something that literally made my entire world spin for two seconds.

"Mr. Stilinski!" Andre shrieked from behind me and hurried right passed me to get to the elder man. I followed after her without hesitation and she'd already gotten to him, a phone pressed against her ear.

Andre had picked me up shortly after Mr. Stilinski had left. She was insistent on me coming with her to the parent/teacher conferences but I basically had to sit outside the room while Mr. Harris gave her the rundown on my antics in class. He would probably mention the countless times where I'd used my sarcasm against him and been told to move because I was talking to Scott or Stiles. There had been a few occasions where I'd been moved because I was just not worthy enough to sit up front and he happily put me all the way in the back of the room in the empty seat beside Isaac Lahey which made us acquaintances. Isaac was the shy, quiet kid who shrunk away from me if I turned to ask him a question without warning. I didn't mind him though. He was better than Jackson or Greenburg in which I had learned why Finstock didn't like him so much.

It was when Mr. Argent and Mrs. McCall began to fight about the whereabouts of their children that all hell seemed to break loose. Andre had been debating whether or not to step in between the parents but her choice had been long forgotten amongst the chaos that had suddenly been summoned in the parking lot of the school. People were screaming and cars were going way over the speed limit to get away from whatever had spooked the crowd. Over everything else, I hadn't even realized that Allison and Scott had pulled into the parking lot after being virtually M.I.A ever since second period. I was still mad that Scott had completely ignored Stiles and I still wasn't in on whatever they were keeping from my 'grubby little hands'—as Stiles had so graciously put it before I left his house earlier. He was still there as far as I was concerned and I wasn't sure when I should call him or if I should even call him at all—not until we made full sure that Mr. Stilinski's accident wasn't fatal. I was praying that it wasn't.

"Andre, oh my—" I sucked in a deep breath and put my hands on the side of my head, looking down at the man with an extremely worried expression. I noticed that there was a gun inside Mr. Stilinski's hand and it was raised in the air. It was then I heard a growling and I snapped my head in the direction of the noise. "No, please, not here." I wheezed, gripping handfuls of my hair and trying to take deep calming breaths. No one seemed to hear me over the commotion around us as Andre spoke to someone on the phone which I assumed was 9-1-1.

I slammed my hands over my ears when three gunshots blew through the air towards us. I squeezed my eyes shut, the noise sounding both like gunshots and glass shattering. I stumbled a few steps backwards and kept my eyes closed, my entire body shaking with undeniable fear. When I could finally regain reality, I opened my eyes and moved my hands away from my ears as I stared down what was in front of me. Lying on the concrete was a very confusing and excruciating conclusion. It was a mountain lion.

I looked over my shoulder, realizing the shots had been fired from the gun Mr. Stilinski was holding in his hand. Mr. Argent had a very lethal looking pistol raised in the air, smoke swirling from the barrel and a serious expression crossing his face. I swallowed and then fully dropped my hands down to my sides. He lowered the gun and made eye contact with me, nodding curtly in my direction. I let out a short breath turning my head to examine the dead wildcat sprawled in front of all the parents, teachers, and students that had come to the school tonight. My eyes fell shut in defeat. This wasn't it. This couldn't be it. I had not seen that at the video store and that had defienently not gotten inside a bus and a building and killed two people. That hadn't ripped a girl in half at the waist. This wasn't the end of everything but everyone else thought it was.

After everyone seemed to gather themselves, I knelt down and aided Andre as she began to lift Mr. Stilinski up off the ground. We wrapped his arms over our shoulders and waddled over to the Range Rover with only minor difficulties. Andre and I weren't as strong as we thought we were and almost fell a few times but Mr. Stilinski had enough strength to make sure he wouldn't fully collapse but every time he put pressure on himself, he grimaced and groaned softly even though he repeatedly said he was okay. We finally got him to the car and I carefully set him in the passenger seat. I helped him buckle in and then rushed around to go sit in the seat behind him.

"Call Stiles." Mr. Stilinski said once we'd gotten through the chaos of the parking lot. "He—he needs to know."

"Okay. I—I got it." I said, glancing at him through the mirror on the ceiling. We locked eyes for a moment and I gave a very, very weak smile. My heart was still pounding in my chest and my world spun every so often, like it just decided when I was supposed to get dizzy. I was able to get to Stiles's contact and slammed my finger down on the call button. I pressed the phone to my ear and anxiously waited for him to pick up.

 _"Hello?"_ His voice was groggy and slightly surprised at me calling. He must have been sleeping and I knew that would make it so much more worse.

"Stiles, hey, it's Tessa." I answered with a shaky and almost breathless tone.

 _"Uh, yeah, I kind of got that from the I.D."_ He teased and I didn't even have the courage to roll my eyes and laugh. He seemed to notice that I didn't retort back instantly. _"Wait, what's going on? You didn't make me feel like crap."_

"Um, well, something happened, Stiles." I whispered over the phone, rubbing my forehead and looking into my lap. "He—he's responsive and he's upright in the passenger seat of Andre's car but you're dad…he got hit by a car tonight."

There was dead silence over the phone and when I was about to ask if he was still there, Stiles responded. _"He got hit by a car."_ He repeated and I nodded to myself. _"You—you guys are on your way to the hospital?"_

"We left as soon as possible." I answered, chewing on my bottom lip. "There—there was a mountain lion in the parking lot of the school. People weren't paying attention to where they were going. Someone was backing out and knocked him to the ground. He wasn't knocked unconscious but he's in a bit of pain."

 _"I'll meet you at the hospital."_ Stiles muttered and before I could say anything else, the line went dead. I continued to hold the phone to my ear, my eyes falling shut as I dropped my head. I gripped the phone tightly and then jerked it away from my ear, looking down at the screen in which had turned black.

"Is—is he going to be there?" Mr. Stilinski asked from the front seat, a small shudder in his voice. I could tell that he didn't like putting his son in this situation.

"Yes, Mr. Stilinski." I answered, practically breathless, and I reached forward, squeezing his shoulder gently but making sure not to hurt him. "He'll be there."

"Good." The older man sighed, closing his eyes and leaning back in the seat. "Good."

I ran my hands through my hair, sucking in a deep breath through my nose. I slammed my head slightly on the seat but not hard enough to grasp attention from the two adults in the car. I hated hearing the way Stiles's sarcastic and spastic tone had dissolved under the fact that his father had been hit by a car. I knew what it was like to lose a parent or get the news that one of them was hurt. It felt as if all the air had been punched out of your stomach and your entire world slowed for a few seconds. It was surreal. Living life, you constantly believe that "that couldn't happen to me" and when it does, it's a reality check that what you thought wasn't true. It could happen to anyone.

We turned and realized that we'd pulled into the parking lot of the hospital. We pulled around to the emergency room and they had him out of the Range Rover as soon as the car came to a complete stop. We shouted after him, saying that we hoped all would go well and that Stiles would be here soon. He gave us a small wave in acknowledgement and Andre parked the car not too far away. As we walked up to the doors, my eyes scanned over the lot to find the familiar blue Jeep but it was missing. I licked my lips and then bit down on the bottom one harshly. I followed Andre inside and then waited just around the corner in the rooms I had been in a couple of weeks ago. I still hated hospitals and now that I was here for a specific reason, not by Lydia dragging me along, I felt a small pang of anxiety stab me in the chest. It ricocheted throughout my entire torso and I took a seat down, sighing exasperatedly.

"That man that shot the mountain lion"—Andre said from the seat beside me, staring forward the reception desk—"was that Allison's father?"

"Yeah," I answered, nodding my head and my voice soft. "That was Mr. Argent."

"You weren't kidding." Andre breathed out, bobbing her eyebrows while shaking her own head. "He's intimidating. Not to mention, his eyes stare right into your soul."

"I think he knows he's intimidating." I told her, snorting. "He likes it."

"His gun was massive. It wasn't like anything I'd ever used when going hunting before." Andre pointed out, shifting in her seat. This was one of the first times where Andre had brought up a time when our parents were alive. Andre would go hunting with my Dad and I'd hang back with my Mom for the weekend. We'd sort of made it a silent pact to not talk about it often and it had been going strong. Of course, even the smallest things made a difference. It flashed memories through your head. You could hear the laughter, smell the air, and feel the emotions you did that time.

"Do you think the attacks will be over?" I asked her except, I wasn't asking for my greater good. I wasn't asking because I was confident. I was asking because I truly wondered what people thought about it. Not everyone hung around Scott, Stiles, and Derek who were all hiding something so they didn't have the same perspective I did.

I looked over at my sister who was chewing on her thumbnail, her leg bouncing quickly. "I—I'd like to firmly say yes." She muttered. "But I just can't. I hope so. What about you?"

I shrugged my shoulder. "I guess so."

"Tessa, Stiles…"

I felt a rush of cold air on my skin and I snapped my head in the direction of the feeling. I saw those glass sliding doors open and a very terrified boy stumbling through them. His face was pale, paler than usual, and his arms were held out his sides as if he were trying to push away the air. Everything in my vision was moving in slow motion, including myself getting up from the hospital chair. I moved through a few people standing in the waiting room of the hospital, trying to get to Stiles but it seemed like there were too many obstacles in my way. I knew how he was feeling. I knew he wasn't thinking straight and everything was clouded. He would do something drastic like I had that day and I wasn't going to let him suffer from that embarrassment. I finally got to stand in front of him and he didn't even notice me.

"Stiles look at me." I breathed out, my voice still cut off from being terrified for a second. He probably couldn't hear me and I kicked myself mentally. "Stiles!" I barked this time and slammed my hands down on his shoulders. He jumped slightly underneath my hands and then snapped his head to look down at me. His eyes met mine and I could see the panic and terror swirling in his golden orbs. "Good, keep looking at me, okay?" I muttered, nodding my head and cupping one of my hands on his cheek.

"Tessa," He practically whimpered and I licked my lips, sucking in a deep breath.

"I know, Stiles." I said to him, without him actually finishing his sentence. "He's gonna be okay." I then wrapped my arms around his shoulders, tugging him to my chest. His arms slithered around my waist and he pulled me closer, as if we weren't close enough already. He buried his head in my shoulder, his entire body shaking with undeniable fear. I ran my hands over his buzz cut head, letting my eyes fall shut for a moment as I struggled to console the boy. I had never really been good at helping people relax or handling things in serious situations. I was patting myself on the back for not busting out a sarcastic comment or backing away from Stiles. It was weird seeing him like this and I had to fully admit.

I _hated_ it.

"It'll be okay." I shushed into his ear calmly. "It'll be okay." I repeated that phrase a few times until Stiles's shaking reduced and he nodded in acknowledgement. Finally, he lifted his head up and looked me in the eyes. We stood there for a few moments before he cleared his throat and suddenly stepped back. His arms fell off my waist and he pinned them to his sides, clenching his fists.

"Uh, you—you probably didn't like that." He murmured, shaking his head down at the floor. "I—I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize." I replied, shaking my head and brushing a curl behind my ear. "I am familiar with the feeling."

I expected Stiles to ask a question revolving around my statement. His mouth was agape for a moment but as his eyes flickered across the features of my face, he closed it shut and nodded curtly. I was astonished honestly. Most people would have asked why or what happened but instead, it was like he understood completely. It was like he knew that those were not the right things to ask and it was better to leave it hanging there in the middle of us, shoving it off the side to wonder about later. If I had to guess, something had happened to him in the pass that somehow related to the situation which made it so much worse and so much more important to him that his Dad was okay.

"Is Andre here?" Stiles asked, rising up an eyebrow weakly. Some people had filed out of the waiting room and I stepped off to the side, to look over my shoulder. Andre was still sitting in the chair and she smiled once she saw us looking. Stiles gave her a calm wave and she waved back, smiling warmly at the boy.

"Your father said I should probably call you." I said, gesturing towards Stiles. "He wanted you to know and was glad that you were on your way."

"Thank you."

It almost came out in a whisper from Stiles's lips. This was different than when he'd said thank you to me last night. It had been a casual thank you for not letting Jackson scream at his Dad but this time, it was a genuine, heartfelt thank you. It made my chest seize up and all the breath leave my body. Of course Stiles just always happened to be the one who made me break every promise I had made to myself. He was making me want to be a part of the life here at Beacon Hills. He was making me become an entirely different person I hadn't been when I lived back in Nevada. He was reminding me of my past life at the same time and it was almost frustrating. I wanted to scream and rip my hair out of my head but at the same time, collapse on the floor and sob. I hadn't felt this vulnerable since I had cried in the waiting room in front of that one stupid doctor who couldn't save one of the very people I loved and adored in my life.

"You don't have to thank me, Stiles." I said back to him, the corners of my lips quirking up as I shook my head. "If you should be thanking anyone, it should be my sister." I figured, gesturing backwards towards the older girl sitting behind us.

"I'll thank her later but I have to thank you." Stiles was holding his ground and I clenched my jaw, staring down at the floor. "You called me and you—you kept me from practically losing my freaking mind in here."

This caused me to look up at him. It felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders and it made a sigh escape me. I had done something _right_ for once. It was then I completely remembered the night in perfect detail since it had happened almost fifteen minutes ago. I remembered the mountain lion and I rubbed my forehead.

"I'm sorry." I mumbled and I felt Stiles shift next to me. "I accused you of keeping something from me that had to do with the—the animal that jumped through the window but—but it obviously doesn't have to do with that."

"What are you talking about?" Stiles asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I mean that I saw Mr. Argent shoot and kill a mountain lion tonight, Stiles. It—it was always a mountain lion." I breathed out the last words and let my eyes fall shut. It was the same feeling I had gotten in the parking lot. I felt defeated and disappointed with myself. I had been so convinced that a mountain lion had not been the culprit to these killings because, what kind of wildcat comes all the way into town? That lion had been sprinting through our parking lot. It made sense now and it made me feel so stupid.

"That's what you meant by the mountain lion on the phone." Stiles said more to himself than me and rubbed the bottom of his chin. Then he shook his head to my surprise. "No, no, that isn't right."

"What?" I practically squeaked and then let out a breathless laugh. "You—you think I'm lying to you?"

"No!" Stiles squawked, throwing his hands with widened eyes, realizing his mistake. "No, of course not. I'm just saying…that it hasn't always been the mountain lion, Tessa."

I stared at Stiles blankly, my entire mind going dark. Instead of feeling guilt and defeat, for a moment, I felt nothing. Then, it hit me with a train and everything beginning spin incredibly fast inside my head. It made me rub my forehead furiously, trying to scrub all of the thoughts of my skull. Words pounded against the sides of my head and I ground my teeth together, viciously and I knew then that it was never a lion. It was never the animal I saw lying on the ground. It was something else and I knew it had to be the thing I had seen on Lydia's phone and with my own eyes.

"Stiles, please, you have to tell me." I practically begged, wrapping my arms around my torso. " _Please."_

Now Stiles was staring at me but it wasn't a blank stare. There were millions of emotions crossing his face and I could tell by each twitch in his muscles. He clenched his fists and then realized them before scrubbing his hands down his face. I watched in complete anguish as he shook his head. I had lost once again. "I'm so sorry. I can't."

"Fine," I snipped, stumbling backwards a few steps as my vision flashed red. "You know what? I don't care anymore. If it's so bad you can't tell me, I don't wanna know." I grumbled, running my hands furiously through my tangled curls. "And it sucks to think that I almost trusted you, Stiles." I said with a very emotionless chuckle, shaking my head and spinning on my heels. "I should have just asked Scott when I saw him tonight."

"Wait, Scott was there? You saw him?" Stiles asked quickly, lunging forward and turning me back around to face him. I jerked out of his touch.

"Yeah, he showed up with Allison." I answered with a slightly confused look, nodding my head and crossing my arms over my chest. "Why?"

"Dammit!" Stiles hissed loudly underneath his breath, stomping his foot aggressively and making me step backwards but not out of anger now.

"Stiles, what's going on?" I tried to keep myself calm but my confusion was about to make me start panicking again. I watched him as he held his head in his hands.

Then, he slowly lifted his face up. He glanced around me reaching forward and snatching my hand in his. I jumped at the sudden action but didn't get a chance to ask him again what was happening. He tugged me forward, taking me just around the corner, Andre giving us a puzzled look. Finally, Stiles stopped, releasing my hand.

"You want to know what we've been hiding, right?" Stiles asked raising his eyebrows and making me swallow thickly.

"Stiles, you don't have to—"

"No you deserve to know." He cut me off, shaking his head and using a dark tone. I sucked in my bottom lip nervously and looked down at the floor. "You've been through so much and if Scott decides he wants to skip out on life for a second, he has to deal with some of the consequences."

"He went out with Allison, Stiles. He's just a teenage boy." I defended, blinking a few times and obviously trying to rationalize with him. "You can't be mad at him."

"Well, I can. You don't understand yet which is why I'm going to help you." Stiles informed me and I narrowed my eyes, crossing my arms back over my chest. "Remember when you saw Derek get arrested and I told you that Scott and I had been out the night the police were searching for the half of the body?" Stiles asked and I nodded slowly. "I freaking ran off, leaving Scott behind in the woods."

"Seriously?" I muttered, rubbing my eyes. "Why am I not surprised?"

"Why am I not surprised that you'd still be sarcastic in a situation like this?" Stiles asked, cocking up an eyebrow and I smirked proudly, making him roll his eyes. "Anyways, Scott was out there and—and there was an animal. It happened to uh, bite him. It—it wasn't your average animal either. It was a…wolf."

I paused, thinking over his words before frowning. "It was a _wolf_?" I repeated incredulously, leaning forward and letting my eyebrows climb up to my hairline.

"Okay, Tessa, listen, the next part is going to sound completely unbelievable and you're gonna wanna either punch me or laugh. I'd prefer the laughing part but neither would be pretty cool too." Stiles explained and I gave him a sharp look before he cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck. "The wolf Scott was bitten by…it was a, uh, um, werewolf."

I stopped and then narrowed my eyes dangerously. I popped my jaw and Stiles jumped backwards a few feet away from me. "Stiles…"

"Tessa, I told you! It sounds insane and like I'm on drugs but I promise you, I would not lie to you about this."

"Stiles, I asked for you to tell me what you've been hiding from me and you tell me that Scott is an expert out of Twilight?" I hissed.

"He is not an expert out of Twilight. I think he'd be very offended if you said that to him." Stiles grumbled, frowning and glaring at me. "Please, you have to understand. You—you saw Derek's eyes glow right? Well that's because he's a werewolf too."

"Oh wow, I didn't know Derek would be in on this too." I scoffed and Stiles growled frustratingly, scrubbing his hands down his face. "You're right, Stiles. It does sound insane."

"But it's all true. I thought you'd understand better because you've literally looked one right in the eyes." Stiles groaned and I knitted my brow together. "That night at the video store? Yeah, the alpha that bit Scott tried to kill you and Jackson."

I froze up, the images of that night quickly flashing through my head with the glass shattering, my shouts, and Lydia's screams ringing in my ears. I let out a long breath, my entire body sagging forward. "Oh my God…" I whispered, putting one hand on my forehead which had begun to clam up.

"You believe me now?" Stiles asked firmly and I looked him in the eyes before slowly nodding. He sighed out of relief and then licked his lips. "And—and that's why Scott's gotten so good at lacrosse and why he acts out sometimes. Derek, he got shot with a bullet full of a poison against werewolves called wolfs bane and that's why he looked so sick the day he was at the school. He didn't want to go the hospital because in all truth, they really couldn't help him." Stiles explained, shaking his head and holding out his hands as if he were trying to physically show me that there was not a single lie coming from his body even though I knew he wasn't kidding now. "To tie in with all of this, the Argents are involved too. Now, Allison doesn't know anything which means you cannot breathe a single word to anyone not of the supernatural race."

"What about you?" I cocked up an eyebrow and gave him a knowing look.

"What kind of question is that? Obviously I know all of this so of course you can talk to me about it. And if you're getting suspicious, I am fully human." Stiles sarcastically answered, rolling his eyes. "The Argents are werewolf hunters. During Lydia's party, Scott was wolfing out because there was a full moon. We left in a hurry because I needed to get him out of there before he hurt anyone. That same night, Mr. Argent was out and he shot Scott with an arrow."

"Holy shit." I hissed, my eyes widening. "Does that mean Mr. Argent knows Scott is a werewolf then?"

"Luckily, no. Mr. Argent shot blindly and didn't really see Scott." Stiles replied and I nodded in acknowledgement. "If you're wondering who shot Derek, I guess you could thank Kate Argent for that one."

"Kate shot Derek?" I murmured, brushing a strand of hair behind my ear.

"I guess Kate is the worst of them all. She's dangerous, or at least that's what Derek says. When Scott was at Allison's house, he went into Kate's room to get another bullet that had some powder in it that would heal Derek." Stiles said and I kept myself from laughing. Scott had actually gotten into Kate's bag but Allison had covered for him unknowingly. "That is why Derek couldn't be taken to the hospital and he needed help from us. We couldn't tell you then about werewolves because it's dangerous. I know Scott said not telling you about it because he wants to protect everyone which is true. You knowing any and all of this information puts you in large amounts of danger, Tessa."

"Well if there are people shooting other people and giant alpha werewolves trying to kill innocent teenagers, I can guess it could be somewhat dangerous." I muttered, bobbing my eyebrows and digging my sneaker into the floor. "Speaking of this alpha, behind every werewolf there's a man. Do you know who it is?"

"We have no idea." Stiles muttered, shaking his head. "We've been trying to figure out who it is but there are no leads. He's responsible for almost every animal attack here in Beacon Hills. He tore that girl in half, he mauled the bus, and he attacked the video store. You must have had a dream about him earlier today."

"So alphas have red eyes then?"

"Yeah, alpha's eyes glow red and beta's glow yellow. Scott is a beta which means his glow yellow." Stiles informed me. "We're almost positive Derek is a beta too. His eyes were flashing that day because if there is enough wolfs bane in his system, it can cause him to turn and then die."

"Jesus," I breathed out, the bluntness in Stiles's voice showing just how shitty stuff could get around here with the werewolf business. "The only thing I don't understand is—is why you're telling me this when you've been saying its Scott's secret to tell. You've been so loyal to him but then suddenly you're not?"

"Scott has superhuman strength no one else has. He can move faster and hear things no one else can." Stiles said, his tone spiking up. "He could have saved my Dad tonight but he didn't. I can almost imagine him swooping in to save Allison's day but then letting my dad get hit by a moving car."

"You really think he did that on purpose Stiles?" I asked him honestly, giving him a knowing look. "Let me remind you that we're all sixteen years old."

"So he can save Allison as a sixteen year old boy but not save my dad?" Stiles voice was soft and sadly, he was right. It also might have been a quick decision. Scott could have been closer to Allison and moved her out of the way but then didn't have time to get to Mr. Stilinski. He might have not even known Mr. Stilinski was in trouble.

"Did you tell me just because you're mad at Scott?"

Stiles looked up at me, his lips parted slightly as his eyes flickered between my eyes and the hallway behind me. "Partially." He answered with a small croak in his voice. "I also saw the mental anguish you were being put through and—and I didn't like seeing you like that because, as weird as it sounds, you're my friend and I don't like seeing my friends get hurt."

"Stiles, you know how this is going to end right?" I muttered, pinching the bridge of my nose and shutting my eyes. "You can be mad at Scott all you want but he never had a reason to be mad at you…until now. In case you haven't noticed, Scott and I aren't as close as you think we might be. I'm not sure how much he'd appreciate knowing that you told his girlfriend's best friend that he's a werewolf especially when his girlfriend's family if full of people that have a great chance of being able to kill him."

"Are you saying that Scott isn't going to trust you?"

"That is exactly what I am saying." I dropped my hand down from my face and gave him a weak look.

"Tessa, you can't honestly believe that." Stiles mumbled, shaking his head. "Scott, he's wanted to tell you ever since he saw you get worked up over Derek. He's just been terrified of telling you. He trusts you."

"But he wanted to protect me?"

"That's all he and I have wanted to since the world has been trying to drag you into this." Stiles answered. "Now that you are involved, you're whole life is probably going to change because of this."

"If you mean I can't tell people certain things and I'll probably be warped into some werewolf drama, then I think I can handle this." I shrugged, putting a hand on my hip casually. Stiles rolled his eyes but a small smile appeared on his face.

"You're seriously unbelievable." He said with an amused tone and I giggled, a grin breaking out onto my features. "But you do have a choice. You can either know this information and then live your life like you were before or you don't have to really get involved so much." Stiles explained and my grin fell short.

"You think I don't wanna help you?"

"H—help?" Stiles stammered, blinking his eyes and once again getting the weird chicken neck thing.

"Yeah. You think I just wanna sit back and watch you two nimrods try to run the show on your own, minus the broody werewolf?" I asked, cocking up an eyebrow and giving him an incredulously look. "You really must be stupid, Stilinski."

"Hey, not the time."

"Whatever. I want to help. Whatever you guys do, whatever you guys need help with—you can come to me. I will keep my mouth shut and try to do as much as I can." I said, fully committing to everything. I had never really felt so sure about quickly committing to something in my life but Scott and Stiles were my friends. Their lives were complicated and I didn't want them doing this on their own. "I'll be like the girl who swoops in unexpectedly when your plans fail and then save your asses."

"I swear, I've never met somehow who's had such little faith in us." Stiles said mumbling before pausing and then shaking his head. "Never mind, I take that back. Derek literally believes Scott and I can't tie our own shoes."

I threw back my head with genuine laughter and I heard Stiles chuckle in front of me. I continued to laugh, the feeling of laughing making the entire situation lighten up slightly. Stiles seemed to catch on and we laughed together until reality settled back in.

* * *

 **AN: Celebration time, come on! *dances around with the rest of my followers*. TESSA KNOWS! I always planned on her finding out like this and honestly, it has been one of my most favorite conversations to find out. Now, I tried to kind of make it unlike some of the other stories I've read and made Tessa not really believe Stiles and get annoyed with him when he tells her and then I got her to believe it. It was very informational and I tried to cover all of the bases with what she needs to know and what everyone else knows so far. Plus...I put in some TessaxStiles action in here which I hope you guys enjoyed!**

 **Please, please, please, please, please leave reviews! I was sad I didn't get any on my last chapter but it's all good ;)**

 **I love you guys!**


	13. Chapter 13

I crouched by the front window, nibbling on a banana as I waited for Mrs. McCall's car to back out of their garage. I was getting anxious, tapping my fingers on the window seal and going over just exactly what I was gonna say to Scott. I was glad Andre had early classes once again this morning because I honestly didn't need her asking me what the hell I was doing. In all fairness, I was aware that I had been stalking Scott's house for the past five minutes but that didn't really matter to me right now. Apparently, stalking Scott's house was the least of his problems considering he was being hunted down by an alpha werewolf, werewolf hunters, and now his best friend was beyond angry with him. I guessed that part was kind of my fault. I mean, not the part where Scott didn't save Mr. Stilinski but the part where I mentioned Scott was there to Stiles. I probably could have kept that information to myself but, in my defense, I didn't know about any of his super awesome werewolf abilities then. Now that I did, I was grimacing at myself.

Finally, the rickety garage made a loud belch and then began to open. I perked up in my seat, my mouth pausing while chewing a piece of apple. I saw the old black car pull out and then drive off down the neighborhood, Mrs. McCall in the driver's side. I launched myself off the couch, launching my backpack over my shoulder as I expertly tossed my apple into the trashcan. I admired my shot with a smirk and I nod of my head before snatching my backpack off the kitchen table while sprinting out the front door. I was hoping Lydia wouldn't be here until later and then wonder why the hell I'd gone to Scott's house at seven in the morning. I really didn't need her asking me questions either. Stiles had specifically told me to, quote on quote, "you cannot breathe a single word to anyone not of the supernatural race" and I was planning on sticking to that solely. I didn't need Stiles to be mad at the only friends that knew about werewolves.

I checked before the crossing the street and then continued my dead sprint over to the Scott's house. I stumbled up the front porch and then paused before calmly knocking on the door. I continued to cast glances over my shoulder as if Lydia was going to suddenly appear in front of my house. It was taking a while for Scott to come down the stairs and I couldn't hear anything from this side of the door. I began to grow impatient, tapping my foot against the wooden boards and chew on the bottom of my lip.

Suddenly, the locks on the door turned. "Mom, did you forget some—" Scott paused as he stood in the doorway. His eyes widened at the sight of me and I shyly averted my eyes away from him. He obviously hadn't been expecting me at the front door which probably explained why he was shirtless and in a pair of sweatpants.

"Uh, hi, Scott," I greeted, clearing my throat and staring down at the ground as I gave an awkward wave. God, if Lydia showed up now, there'd be some serious explaining to do and probably some slapping of my head.

"Tessa, what—what are you doing here?" Scott asked nervously, actually taking a few steps closer to the door in effort to cover his shirtless body. "It's like seven in the morning." He pointed out and I nodded slowly.

"I am very aware." I murmured and then decided to look up, sucking it up and deciding to not let his torso bother me. Hey, at least he wasn't chubby. "I know it's early but I needed to talk to you about something important."

"If it's about Stiles being mad at me, trust me, I got the earful." Scott grumbled, staring down at his bare feet and shaking his head.

"It's not about that." I said, shaking my head and he looked up at me with a furrowed brow. "Stiles told me something Friday night and I think you should know."

Scott was quiet for a few moments before he opened the door more. "Uh, do—do you wanna come inside?" He asked, holding on his arm. I nodded and then smiled shortly before stepping inside. His house strangely looked like Stiles's. It wasn't filled with many decorations and was extremely basic. It kind of matched the demeanor of my house. It seemed like everyone living in a single parent or parentless household at the same sense of style. We didn't really have one because it didn't matter to us.

"Um, not to kill your mood or anything but, uh, could you put on a shirt maybe?" I asked him, cringing slightly and making him look down at himself.

"S—sure," He answered, nodding his head and then beginning to go up the stairs. He paused on the fourth step and looked down at me. "You can come up if you want."

"Uh, Lydia might be here soon and I don't wanna be running out of your house." I told him and the corners of his mouth twitched. "I think it's better if we talk closer to the front door."

Scott nodded in agreement and then finished going up upstairs. He came down a few seconds earlier, nearly falling down the stairs as he tugged a t-shirt over his head. He jumped down the last few steps and seemed more comfortable now that he had a shirt on. He smiled at me weakly. "Are you hungry? I can get you something."

"No, no, I ate before I came here." I said. "Thanks."

We stood in silent air before he cleared his throat and scratched the top of his head. "So, you said you had to talk to me about something?"

"Yeah," I replied breathlessly, nodding my head. I rubbed my hands down the small length of my denim shorts and stared down at the floor. I had decided today to wear a form fitting Beetles t-shirt, light denim shorts, and a pair of white Vans matching a white watch wrapped around my wrist. My hair was braided in two long braids down my shoulders and I'd taken time on makeup. I'd gotten up early since I'd been planning for this moment all weekend. I had practiced what I was going to say to Scott, how I was going to approach it, and went through just about every scenario that could occur. He could accept that I knew. He could be sad that I knew. Or he could wolf out and try to kill me because he was so livid. There was also the other option that he could go after Stiles but I tried not to think about that one too much. "I—I've been trying to figure out what to say all freaking weekend to you." I admitted, looking up towards the ceiling and shaking my head.

"Are you okay?" Scott asked softly, giving me the concerned puppy look. I swallowed thickly and then rubbed the back of my sweaty neck.

"I—I'm perfectly fine but I just don't want you to get angry." I said quietly, blinking a few times and making eye contact with him. He was confused yet there was a small hint of suspicious swirling in his eyes. "I know."

Scott opened his mouth and then shut it, furrowing his brow. "You know what?" He inquired, shaking his head and obviously not expecting that from me.

"Scott, I know." I repeated again more firmly this time, giving him a very ironic knowing look. I jutted my head out with my eyebrows raised and waited for him to get it. Instead, he opted for shaking his head slowly. "Scott I know you're a werewolf!"

My voice bounced off the wooden floors and actually made him jump in the air a few centimeters. Once he regained himself, his eyes widened and, instead of looking mad, he looked without question petrified. "Oh my God," he breathed out. "H—how did you find out? When did you find out?"

"1."—I held up one finger in the air—"Stiles told me 2."—I lifted up another finger—"He told me when you decided to go off the face of the Earth and have a playdate with Allison, let's see, all freaking day."

"Stiles told you!?" Scott squeaked, throwing his hands around wildly. I stepped back to avoid being werewolf slapped in the face.

"Yes, he did, Scott. And before you decide to get mad at him, remember that he tried to call you multiple times because I was freaking the hell out." I brandished one of my fingers towards him with a serious look. "Plus, I basically begged him."

Scott scrubbed his hands down his face. "This is bad." He muttered through his hands. "This is so bad."

"Um, it could be worse." I pointed out, shrugging my shoulders and making a face. He opened his fingers but didn't move them off of his face.

"Please tell me how this could be worse."

"I could be running off and telling Allison who just happens to live in a house filled with highly trained werewolf hunters."

Scott thought about it for a moment before nodding his head curtly. "You're right. It could defienently be worse."

"Anyways, if you're worried about me telling anybody, I'm not." I said, shaking my head and once again giving him the serious look. "I promised Stiles I wouldn't tell anyone, not even Andre."

"Well, I wasn't ever worried about you telling anyone." Scott mentioned, shrugging his shoulder and dropping his hands down to his sides. I guess Stiles had been right. Scott did trust me enough. "I was just worried about your safety."

"I'm aware of the risks I'm taking knowing everything." I said to him, nodding my head. "And I know the kinds of danger I could get in to."

"Tessa, you know you don't have to get involved in this."

"Okay, well, that's exactly what Stiles told me so that I don't have to repeat it in the long version, I'll just give it to you in the short version." I casually shrugged my shoulders again. "I'm going to anyways."

"Y—you're sure you wanna do this?" Scott asked almost as if he didn't believe me. "I mean, I know all of this seems completely…"

"…stupid, moronic, and quite frankly preposterous?" I finished for him, cocking up my eyebrow. "Yeah, I know. Scott, if I wasn't sure, would I be standing in your house right now talking to you about this?"

Scott watched me for a moment, as if studying everything that I just said to him and I was about to wave my hand in front of his face before he swallowed. "I feel like I should apologize to you."

I snorted in a very unladylike manner which made the corner of Scott's mouth twitch. "You don't have to apologize for anything. That alpha is the one that should apologize to everyone considering he bit you and is now killing innocent people." Scott grimaced as my casual tone when speaking about the alpha.

"Yeah, we're working on that." Scott muttered, shutting his eyes.

"Does 'we' mean Stiles and Derek?" I asked tonelessly, cocking up an eyebrow and making Scott nod his head. "You guys are so lucky I'm on your team."

"Hey, we were doing just fine before you found out." Scott defended, frowning and shooting me an offended look. I rolled my eyes with an amused smirk.

"Whatever." I teased and Scott was about to argue again when I chuckled. "I'm kidding. I'm just saying, considering certain circumstances, you are missing a player."

"Stiles," Scott breathed out without any hints. "I know."

"Look, all you have to do is apologize and then I'll slap Stiles and mention to him that there are more important things to focus on. Now, I'm not saying that his father isn't important but we need all the help we can get." I explained, making Scott smile when I mentioned slapping Stiles in the head.

"I'm not mad at him." Scott mentioned for me. "I just feel really bad."

"Okay well that is for him to know and me not tell him. I won't be your little messenger because I am not getting in the middle of this. I agreed to be involved with werewolves, not bromance, alright?" I told him, pointing a finger at the boy before beginning to back up towards the front door.

"I wasn't trying to get you involved with bromance." Scott squeaked, holding up his hands in mock surrender while his mouth hung open.

"Sure you weren't, Scott." I said, grinning and then winking at him. "See you at school, wolf boy!" I called over my shoulder, waving at him and hearing a low groan.

I slammed his door with a satisfied giggle and then jogged across the street, glad to find that Lydia hadn't shown up yet. I had enough time to eat a bowl of cereal before she honked her little horn and ushered for me to hurry as I took my time down the porch steps. I looked up towards Scott house and smiled softly. That went a lot better than I had planned. He hadn't wolfed out once and he still seemed slightly terrified of me like Stiles was. He was just a teenage boy trying to figure out how to live his life now. He wasn't anyone or anything dangerous and it was easier to accept this new information. Of course Stiles being pissed at Scott would pose as a small issue but I didn't have to convince Stiles to help us. He knew we needed it. He knew his best friend needed his help and Stiles would never pass up a chance to be the hero for the supernatural.

Lydia and I drove to school with calm chatter. We didn't dare bring up any events that related to the video store. She seemed a lot better than when I had last seen her. I was glad that we'd deleted the video of the alpha off her phone. I didn't want her to get involved with this as much as I was sure Stiles or Scott did. I was also glad I didn't keep the video on my phone. The alpha scared me and I didn't need to look death face every time I went into my camera roll. I was pleased to see that Lydia was usual Lydia. She criticized my outfit and made sarcastic comments but they seemed less frequent. Apparently, she'd gotten a tiny reality check from that night. She saw how easily we could be put in the threat of danger and didn't want to take things for granted. I'm sure it didn't weigh easily on her mind that her best friend and her boyfriend had been annoyed with her before they both almost died. Speaking of her boyfriend, I hadn't talked or seen Jackson since last Friday. I was wondering if I should even talk to him. It wasn't like we were close friends but he had helped me at the video store. Then, I remembered that I had shoved him away from Mr. Stilinski and told him to back off. Maybe it wasn't such a good time to talk to Jackson so I decided on waiting until he talked to me.

I had waved goodbye to Lydia and then entered the History classroom. I hadn't realized Scott was in front of me. Stiles had moved his seat and was sitting in the second row. There was a seat opened beside him closest to the window and one seat opened behind him. I didn't expect the person in front of me to sit down behind Stiles but they did and when I learned it was Scott, I decided not to get angry. I took the seat beside Stiles who shot me a small smile before going back to his scowling features considering the guy he was supposed to be mad at had taken the seat behind him.

"Still not talking to me?" Scott asked and I thought maybe he was asking me. I turned in my seat and found that he was talking to Stiles. I snapped my fingers and then gave him a warning look, as if to say that was not the right way to bring things up. Stiles hardly noticed sine he was concentrating so hard on not focusing on Scott. Scott nodded his head in acknowledgement and then licked his lips, looking at the back of his best friend's head. "Can you at least tell me if your Dad is okay? I mean, it's just a bruise, right? Some soft tissue damage?" I glanced at Stiles who had his tongue pressed against his cheek, obviously not liking the way this conversation was going. Scott muttered a few words when Stiles didn't answer and I sighed, collapsing into my seat.

"You two are such girls." I grumbled, shaking my head and turning around to face the front of the room. I tapped my fingers on my desk absentmindedly and then heard Scott speaking up again.

"You know I feel really bad about it, right?" He told Stiles and I kept my smile to myself. That was what Scott had told me at his house and I told him to tell Stiles. "Okay…" Scott sighed and crossed his arms on his desk. "What if I told you I'm trying to figure this whole thing out and…that I went to Derek for help?"

"If I was talking to you, I'd say that you're an idiot for trusting him." Stiles finally broke, the topic of Derek obviously being the thing to collapse his wall of silence. I had no clue that Scott went to Derek for help which meant that Stiles didn't either. "But obviously I'm not talking to you." Stiles finished and I rolled my eyes.

"Seriously, that's it? Wow, real defensive, Stiles." I muttered and he glared at me venomously. I simply glared back at him in response. The school bell rang, announcing that class was about to start. I grabbed my pencil and my notebook out of my bad but caught a glimpse of Stiles. It looked like he was mentally fighting with himself and I smirked, slowly sitting back up, knowing that I had been right. Stiles was going to be invested if Derek was involved because Stiles did not like Derek.

"What did he say?" Stiles asked, spinning around in his chair. I looked over my shoulder and gave a knowing look to Scott. Scott smiled obviously proud that he'd gotten the kid's attention.

"Well, he said something about getting mad and then turning." Scott said, shrugging his shoulders and keeping his voice low. "It's like anger management."

"Isn't that like the worst thing you could do right now? Like, you're still a beta and you still have to learn control." I whispered over my shoulder, glad that the History teacher was barely paying attention to us.

"Wait, how did you know Tessa knew?" Stiles whispered, giving Scott and I very confused glances. I shrugged my shoulder.

"I went to his house this morning." I replied and Stiles gaped at me. "I live across the street from him, alright? And I'm pretty sure the main character in our little story should know that I know that he's a werewolf."

"So you just walked over to his house and was like 'hey, I know you're a werewolf'?"

"That's basically what happened." Scott muttered and Stiles growled, frustrated, and then rubbed his eyes quickly.

"Look, Scott you better not get mad at me for that."

"I'm not."

"What?"

"Tessa explained to me that she needed to know and I made the decision to not be around. So it's okay. I understand." Scott replied, nodding his head and then making Stiles narrow his eyes.

"Okay, fine. Let's just get back to the important things."

"Right." Scott breathed out. "Apparently that's how I'm supposed to learn control—by getting angry." Scott replied, shrugging his shoulders.

"Doesn't angry mean 'gr, scary claws and fangs'?" I muttered, holding up my hands and making a face for effect. Both boys gave me annoyed looks and I shrunk in my seat, "Sorry." I mumbled, my face turning a light shade of pink.

"But she's right." Stiles then concluded. "You getting angry can make you wolf out. It happened that day at practice and during our lacrosse game."

"Derek says it can help me." Scott insisted, giving us firm looks. "And I'm gonna take all the help I can get right now."

Stiles and I translated nervous looks before turning around in our seats to listen to the lesson. As soon as class ended, Scott and Stiles were the first up out of their seats. I scrambled to follow them as they came out the doors of the classroom.

"Wh-he wants you tap into your animal side and get angry?" Stiles asked, probably having a debate in his head the entire class period.

"Yeah." Scott answered calmly, nodding his head.

"Alright, well, correct me if I'm wrong, but every time you do that, you try to kill someone, and that someone's usually me." Stiles said, pointing to his chest. "And, now it could most likely be Tessa."

"He's right, Scott. Sure I signed up for this and know the risks of getting killed but not on your own will okay? If like you wolf out accidently, then that makes more sense but doing it because Derek thinks it'll work, that's a different story." I explained, wrapping my hands around my backpack straps as we walked down the hallway.

"I know." Scott replied back to us with a small hint of anguish in his voice. "That's what he means when he says he doesn't know if he can teach me. I have to able to control it." Scott finished sadly.

"Wait, so Derek doesn't even know if can teach you?" I asked incredulously, giving Scott a very confused look. "What makes you think this is a good idea?"

"Well how is he going to be able to teach you?" Stiles asked, obviously not letting Scott answer my questions.

"I don't know." Scott answered, holding his hands out and shaking his head. I groaned and rolled my eyes, making the boys glance over at me. "I don't think he does either."

"Okay." Stiles sighed, rolling his eyes along with his head. "When are you seeing him again?"

"He just told me not to talk about it. Just act normal and get through the day." Scott answered and as soon as he finished, Stiles slammed his hand on his best friend's shoulder. We both stopped walking, looking over at our spastic friend.

"When?" Stiles wanted to know when Derek was going to see Scott again because this was an issue that needed to be solved as soon as possible…if everyone wanted to make it out alive.

"He's picking me up at the animal clinic after work." Scott answered as I came to stand beside him.

"After work…" Stiles repeated. "Alright, well, that gives me the end of the school day then." Stiles said to us, shoving his hand in his pocket and rocking back on his heels.

"To do what?" Scott glanced over at me nervously and I shrugged my shoulders in response. I had no idea what Stiles was up to.

"To teach you myself." Stiles suddenly answered and my eyes widened. Then, he turned on his heel, walking away from us. Scott was planted in his spot but I practically tripped over myself to get back to Stiles.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa,"—I mumbled, falling in step with him—"uh, you think that is a good idea? Do you even know what you're doing?"  
"Not really." Stiles replied back with a deep sigh, sucking in his bottom lip.

"Okay, so you and Derek are basically playing for the same team here, then. He doesn't know how to help Scott, neither do you." I explained, making Stiles frown. "So what the hell makes you so much better?"

"Because I can come up with a plan faster than Derek can." Stiles snapped back instantly and making me run my tongue over my teeth, nodding slowly.

"I get it." I murmured. "You don't want Derek to teach Scott because you don't trust him."

Stiles glanced over at me but didn't object. "I just don't want Scott to do something irrational or hurt someone."

"Uh, hurting someone is irrational. There should be no 'or' in between that." I pointed out, scrunching up my nose and shaking my head. "Derek is an actual werewolf, Stiles, and if he's made it this far, he's doing something right."

"Tessa, he's being hunted down as we speak. He's constantly hiding from the Argents." Stiles argued, bouncing on his toes. "He's not doing something right."

"Well at least when Scott asked him for help, he accepted." I replied, shrugging my shoulder.

"Derek didn't just do it on his free will. In return, Scott has to help him find the alpha." Stiles countered and I cursed, shaking my head.

"Of course." I muttered and then rubbed my forehead. "Look, don't do anything that happy, not mad at Scott, Stiles would not do. Frankly, I like that Stiles a lot better than this one." I glared at him and he glared right back at me.

"I never like the versions of Tessa." Stiles retorted and I snorted.

"Come on. I'm a freaking blast." I scoffed, pointing to myself and walking with more swagger than usual. "You're just mad because I can be sassy and get away with it."

"W—I get away with it too." Stiles squeaked, holding his hands to his chest. "I am the master at getting away with being sassy."

"Say that to Jackson and see if he punches you in the face or shoves you in a locker." I said with a small smile making Stiles eyes widen before glaring at me.

"You're an evil, evil woman." He muttered and I winked at him.

"Oh I try." I whispered, making his mouth fall open in shock. I patted him on the shoulder. "Catch me some flies, will you?" I then sauntered in the other direction, thoroughly pleased with myself.

* * *

Ever since Stiles had told me about werewolves, I hadn't spoken to Allison. Well, she was basically disconnected from any sort of electronic communication. I guess that helped me get through the weekend of learning the new information. I didn't have to see her and I didn't have to talk to her until the news finally settled in. Now that school had started for the week, I realized just how hard it was going to be. I was afraid that my tongue might slip and I'd say something that could get Derek and Scott killed. I knew how close Allison was with Kate and if Allison brought it up, Kate would do everything but keep it to herself. She'd probably tell all the rest of the stupid hunters and they'd kill the two werewolves I knew of. I had also promised Stiles that I wouldn't say anything to anyone and I had already intended on doing so when I'd first received the info. It was easier to keep the secret from Lydia considering she didn't have relations with werewolf hunters. Of course she was friends with Allison but I wasn't as afraid.

I could barely look my friend in the eye. She would give me a smile and I would have to force one back. I was keeping a dangerous secret from her and I felt a pit grow in my stomach every time she walked passed me in the hallways. I was growing even more nervous as the day continued on and I tried not to let it bug me too much. Apparently, Scott was avoiding her too and I'd seen that when I was around the couple. He would literally duck into the bathrooms if she came around the corner too fast. He even used me to make it seem like he was busy asking me about homework. I would just talk with him, giving him a confused look. If I tried to ask what the hell was going on, he'd just say thank you and sprint off in the other direction. Stiles didn't know either and when I tried to ask him, his reaction was little bit different. It consisted of constantly trying to change the subject and then me slamming my hand over his mouth to keep him from ranting about Scott. I was sure my ears were going to start bleeding. That was all I had heard from Stiles in chemistry in which I got moved to the back because Mr. Harris thought I was the cause for Stiles's excessive whispering. I had been leaving Erica to sit by herself and I would see her give me glances over her shoulder when I passed to sit with Stiles. I had to sit between him and Scott today even though there was space in between the tables in which he and Scott sat at. I did it anyways and then punched him in the leg to try to silence him at one point. He had squawked and that's when I moved to sit by Isaac.

I hadn't really talked to Lydia since our car ride this morning and sadly, I wasn't planning on sitting with her at lunch. I still needed to figure out what exactly Stiles was up to. He had said that he had until the end of the day to help Scott control his werewolf side. I wasn't sure what the hell he thought he could do that Derek couldn't. Not to mention, if his plan epically failed and Scott wolfed out on him, he could get hurt and possibly get slaughtered. Stiles had mentioned that werewolves had healing abilities which meant that Derek could probably survive one of Scott's episodes—as long as the boy didn't tear his head off. Stiles could get a permanent scar somewhere or end up in the hospital. I honestly didn't need two Stilinski boys in the hospital in almost the same week. I hoped that Stiles had already formed a somewhat reasonable plan on what he was going to do. Whatever he was going to do, I had obligated myself to help.

I was able to pass my two friends at lunch since they were enveloped in their own conversation. Allison was reading a book and Lydia was absentmindedly picking at her food and telling Allison how boring her book was. I honestly didn't have the guts or the patience to sit there and I fell down in the chair beside Stiles. He had a book open and was reading and glanced to my side as I sat down.

"Look, you're doing schoolwork and not complaining." I gasped, giving him a fake smile. "How inspiring. I'm so proud of you." It was then that I realized how untrue the entire thing sounded and snatched the book from his hands.

"Hey!" He protested weakly, fumbling to grab it but I turned in my chair, facing my back towards him as I read the beginning of his passage. I heard him sigh as my eyes narrowed the more I read.

"You're reading about werewolves?" I asked, cocking up my eyebrow and looking over my shoulder. "Where the hell did you even get this?"

"I got it from the library down the street." Stiles answered and then quickly reached over, taking the book from my hands. He slammed the cover shut and then set it back down on the table as I turned around. "Does it really surprise you?"

"Not really." I replied truthfully, shrugging my shoulder and stabbing my salad. "I guessed you'd read up on it sometime. I probably should do that too."

"I think you know enough. I don't need you consume your time with something like supernatural creatures." Stiles muttered, waving his hand in my face and making me wrinkle my nose. "Besides, I don't know how much more your tiny brain can handle."

"Stiles, I'm going to slap you so hard, you won't even remember where you are." I said dangerously, smiling devilishly towards him. He rolled his eyes. "What if I want to learn more about werewolves anyways? I know they go back to medieval times."

"Well, I didn't think you were all that interested in it." Stiles suggested, shrugging his own shoulder and taking a bite of his food.

"I didn't seem that interested because it didn't apply to my life until three days ago." I pointed out, jutting my plastic fork towards him with a tomato on the end. Stiles nodded in thought and we were both interrupted by another person taking a seat at our table. I knew it was Scott but he had a world history book covering his face. I could imagine he'd walked all the way over here while hiding his face because Allison was sitting in the table right behind us. "Gee, Stiles, I'd like to read up on just how many IQ levels the werewolf bite can make a teenage idiot drop."

I saw Scott's eyes poke up over the book, glaring at me as I grinned at him. "I'm hiding from Allison." He hissed, ducking back down and almost muffling his voice.

"I know." I enunciated, bobbing my eyebrows and shoving more food in my mouth. "You're making it quite obvious."

"You are making it obvious but continuing to talk about it." Scott argued and I rolled my eyes, turning to then look over my shoulder. Lydia had relieved herself from the table and Allison was now nose deep inside a book. She hadn't even bothered to look up and was now absorbed in her own little word.

"You're hiding from a girl who is currently suffocating in a novel. I'd say you're not the subtle one here." I countered, shrugging my shoulder. There were a few seconds that passed before Scott's eyes slowly lifted up and over the book again. He looked passed us to Allison and saw she wasn't even paying attention to us.

"I think the book is making it more obvious." Stiles finally cut in, grabbing the top of the world history book and pulling it slightly. Scott didn't budge. "Besides, she really is reading anyways."

Deciding that since Stiles had finally joined the conversation, Scott was going to change the subject. Scott closed the book only slightly and then pulled his head around. "So did you come up with a plan yet?" Scott asked, keeping his voice low and continuing to keep a watchful eye on his girlfriend behind us.

"I think so." Stiles answered and I heard his voice waver as he tried to sound confident but I didn't miss the way his leg was constantly bouncing and shaking some parts of the table. I was tempted to punch him but decided against it. Then, he aggressively took a bite of his apple and I rolled my eyes.

"Does that mean you don't hate me know?" Scott asked and I shot a wary glance towards the boy sitting next to me.

"No." Stiles answered bluntly, giving Scott a knowing look. "But your crap has infiltrated my life, so now I have to do something about it."

"That's the worst excuse ever." I snorted bitterly, smirking down at my plate of food and making Stiles kneed me against my leg. I coughed, my plastic fork dropping from my hand as Stiles snickered softly. I frowned and then slammed my fist into his shoulder, rolling my eyes as he let out a small wail of pain.

"Oh my—ow!" Stiles squeaked, giving me a hurtful look. "God, can you not just take a hit?"

"Shut up. You make it sound like I refused a joint." I teased, narrowing my eyes and making a face. "I guess that should teach you not to hit me."

"I can't stand you." Stiles growled, rubbing his arm and then turning away from me. I smirked but then rolled my eyes again. "Anyways, I am defienently a better Yoda than Derek."

"Really? What kind of idiot makes an Empire Strikes Back pun in a situation containing werewolves?" I grumbled and I saw Stiles stare at me blankly for a few moments. His eyes were scanning my face with his mouth hanging open and I furrowed my brow. "What?" I asked softer than I intended but he shook his head.

"N—nothing." He cleared his throat and then looked away from me. I watched the side of his head for a few moments before returning my attention back to Scott.

"Okay, uh, yeah." Scott muttered. "You can teach me." He was referring back to what Stiles had said before and I shoved some food into my mouth.

"Yeah, I'll be your Yoda." Stiles replied, nodding his head curtly.

"Yeah, you be my Yoda." Scott replied back, sounding slightly confused. It then occurred to me that Scott had no clue who Yoda even was or what the Empire Strikes Back even is. I just sat back and let the scene unfold.

"Your Yoda I will be." Stiles mocked in a voice that sounded like he was gurgling water and trying to sound like the little green guru from the movie. It actually got me to laugh through my nose, covering my mouth with my hand to avoid spraying food all over the werewolf boy sitting across from us. Stiles smirked at me proudly and I shook my head, resting it in my hands afterwards. When he realized Scott wasn't laughing, he decided to elaborate. "I said it backwards."

"Yeah, I—I know." Scott answered almost directly after Stiles said his sentence. Stiles finally figured out that Scott had no idea what Star Wards was and gave it up.

"Alright, you know what? I defienently still hate you." Stiles grumbled, slamming his hands down on his book. "Uh—huh. Oh, yeah." He said dramatically and began to gather all his things. He then snatched the book away from Scott's face who shot up from the table. I looked at the both of them like a child, my mouth still stuffed with food.

"Wait, Stiles," I mumbled through salad. He looked down at me and I reached forward, sliding one of the books out of his hands. "I'd like to read this."

Stiles huffed and then stomped off in the other direction, Scott trailing behind him and ignoring the girl calling his name.

* * *

 **AN: Done with the first chapter in which Tessa is not oblivious! It is so much easier to write now that she knows about werewolves and she's pretty much sassier than ever! I hoped you guys enjoyed the interaction between Scott and Tessa throughout the chapter. I really want their friendship to build because Scott one of my favorites and I want her to be a part of the Stiles and Scott shenanigans.**

 **Please, please, please leave reviews! S/O to** _ **Alexandraashley**_ __ **I'm glad the conversation went as you had hoped! I was thinking about your last review the entire time I was writing it! And a huge, huge, thank you to** _myharlequinromance321_ **your review made me smile so much! I loved that you love everything I do about the relationships with the characters. Thank you so much!**

 **I love you guys!**


	14. Chapter 14

Even though I had learned about werewolves, the red glowing eyes still haunted me every time I closed my own. I stopped the jumpy attitude but wasn't able to shake the feeling that those eyes were going to around every corner, waiting for me. In all fairness, knowing that it was an alpha werewolf helped settle the nerves in which believed a freaking monster had stared me down that night at the video store. Still, I was terrified of the alpha. As much as Scott and Stiles didn't seem to be scared of it, I was literally shaking every time I thought about it. The alpha was something strange and something much, much more dangerous than it let on. Sadly, we had no idea who the alpha was which meant we were not a single step closer to stopping it. It seemed to hide during the day and lurk at nights when the moon was full. It targeted people far into town and seemed to specifically kill people. It wasn't hard to see the pattern here.

I had gotten an earful from Lydia questioning why I had chosen to sit with the dorks on her first day back from school. She explained that I was supposed to help her make her grand entrance and almost slapped me on the head before rethinking it. I continued to think back to what Andre said about Lydia being my best friend and just from the way I felt when I'd seen her so…broken last Friday, I knew that she just happened to be my best friend. Of course, I'd always known I'd liked Allison enough to call her my best friend as well. I was surprised that I had let myself become so comfortable with people and it hadn't been hard. I hadn't had to tell them about my parents or my past life. I had a completely fresh start with all of my friends.

I was hiding in the bathroom. I didn't really care if I would be late to history at this point and felt like everything was really starting to settle in. Reality was slapping me in the face and showing me that this wasn't as easy as I thought it was going to be. I kept re-thinking the scenarios that could happen. Danger seemed to be calmly waiting around every corner for the four of us including Derek. Even though Stiles and I didn't turn into giant wolves on full moons, we were still targeted by the alpha. I had already learned that the alpha happened to be out for anyone who was close to Scott. It worried me that possibly being involved—I could possibly put Andre in danger. The alpha could go after her while she was at school or making a quick run to the grocery store. I had almost forgotten that she hadn't gotten the job at the restaurant which meant she was safer. Still, I felt hot bile rise up in my throat when I got mental images of holding Andre in my arms while she dies. It almost brought me to the brink of tears but I was able to shove it away and believe that I could protect her and she wouldn't get hurt. I'd die before Andre got hurt and I would make sure of that. She was one of main priorities to keep safe. She was the only person I had left and one of the last people I truly loved.

I wondered if this was how Scott felt. I wondered if he was afraid that Stiles or Allison could get hurt. I wondered if he was afraid I would get hurt now. I had stepped up to the plate and pledged that I would help him with anything he needed. I knew he couldn't do this on his own and for some reason I was willing to die helping him. If I was protecting my friends, it was worth it. If I was protecting Allison or Stiles, I would throw myself in front of a gun for them. I would throw myself in front of Mr. Argent's gun if it ever came down to it. I knew the boys didn't like to think about it but we had to think of some of the possible conflicts we could face during this time. I probably had gone over almost everything in my head. I thought over what could happen during the full moon. I thought over what could happen in 48 freaking hours. There was always a fat chance that Mr. Argent could find out or that someone could get killed. There was also the possibility that the alpha could strike again and we'd never know who it was.

I finally gathered myself and came out of the bathroom. I still had half of the class period left

"Ms. Bradley, I'd like to say I'm glad you joined us," the teacher greeted once he'd heard the click of the door as I entered.

"Why am I not surprised?" I asked him warily, throwing my shoulders up lazily and then sulking into my desk. I slid down in my chair and rubbed my eyes, sighing. The teacher decided to leave me alone and continued on with his lesson.

"Tessa?" I heard Stiles whisper next to me and I slowly turned my head in his direction. I looked up into his slightly puzzled golden eyes. "Are you okay?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine." I whispered back and looking away from his gaze.

He thought for a moment before nodding curtly. "I'll talk to you after class."

Looking over at him, he connected eyes with me. I swallowed thickly and then turned away, not wanting to look at those stupid eyes anymore. I jammed my pencil into the top of the desk and proceeded to actually listen to the lecture. I would do anything to take my mind off of everything. I felt selfish, honestly. I wasn't the werewolf. I wasn't the werewolf's best friend. I wasn't the werewolf's girlfriend. I was just a girl who happened to get knocked over by an alpha, get told about the werewolves, and shove my way into that lifestyle. I didn't deserve to feel moody or brought down by things.

Class seemed to drag on forever and I think it had to do with the fact that Stiles said he was going to talk to me after class. When the teacher finally released us, Stiles and Scott were on both sides of me as we walked down the hallway.

"Okay, so, I have a plan." Stiles informed me confidently. "There are just a few things that involve your assistance."

I furrowed my brow and then side glanced him. "And what do I have to do?"

"Well, we need some things from Finstock." Stiles said, grimacing slightly when I narrowed my eyes at him but we continued walking.

"No." I instantly said and Stiles smacked his lips, rolling his eyes. "In case you haven't noticed, I don't have a great relationship with him."

"That's the whole plan! You—you distract him and make him get off topic more than anyone else." Stiles explained, bouncing on his toes. "I have to admit, you have a talent at making conversations take a drastic turn from where they started."

"Thank you." I said calmly, smiling proudly. "But still, no."

"You said you'd help us with anything we needed, Tessa." Stiles whined and I exhaled sharply, stopping and turning to face the two of them.

"I would help with Scott and his werewolf issues." I justified, crossing my arms over my chest. "Not distract Coach Finstock so you can act like Yoda and teach Scott to control himself."

"Do you not understand that this plan has to do with Scott and his werewolf issues?" Stiles argued, gesturing over to the boy who'd stayed quiet almost this entire time. He seemed to shift nervously under my gaze and I looked away from him. "I promise that all you have to do is get Finstock out of his office so I can grab his phone."

"What are you going to do with his phone?" I asked, making a disturbed face.

"During gym, I got the heart monitors. Your heartbeat rises when you get angry. Coach uses them for his running and it's linked to his phone." Stiles explained. "So, if I inflict anger on Scott, I can check his heart rate and then teach him to relax."

I watched him for a long second before clenching my jaw. "You are an idiot." I pointed towards Stiles. "And you are an idiot for letting him do this." I then turned my finger towards Scott. I sighed and then slammed my finger to my chest. "I am also an idiot because I'm agreeing to this."

"Yes!" Stiles cheered, throwing his fist up in the ear. He then placed his hands on my biceps. "You are a princess."

"Shut the hell up, Stilinski." I growled, shoving his arms off of me. "I'm only doing this because I trust Derek just about as much as you do and I don't want him killing my best friend or getting killed my best friend's parents."

"Look at you, being such an emotional person." Stiles cooed, patting me on the head. I finally swung out my fist and it collided with his stomach. He made a gasping noise and then stumbled backwards, clutching onto the place where I'd just punched him.

"You are really abusive." Scott squeaked, jumping backwards away from me when I turned to face him.

"Only because he's really annoying," I grumbled, flexing my fingers and shaking my head at the ground.

"I—I completely understand if you don't want to risk getting in trouble."

"No, Stiles was right. I said I'd help you with whatever you needed." I told him with a shake of my head. "And who cares if I get in trouble?"

"I do. I care." Scott replied back softly, shrugging his shoulders. I watched him closely for a few minutes.

"Why's that?" I sounded eerily calm and Stiles was still leaned up against the wall but he had his head looking over his shoulder at the two of us.

"You don't deserve to get in trouble because of me. You—you got dragged into this. And I guess I never really got to apologize."

"Well yeah because I didn't let you this morning." I snorted, shaking my head. "I told you. This isn't your fault. This is the alpha's fault and once we find him, we're gonna stop him from ruining anyone else's lives."

"I know it really honestly may seem like my life is ruined but it some ways, it's not." Scott defended, shrugging his shoulder curtly.

I thought about it for a moment and then nodded. "I guess you're right. You became a total badass at the lacrosse." I shrugged too. "And I mean, I don't mean to come off as snooty, but you got the girl."

Scott chuckled softly. "Yeah," He murmured, dropping his head. "I got the girl."

"Alright, enough of this bonding time," Stiles grumbled, coming in between us. "We need to get his phone before the free period is over."

"Fine," I sighed, scrubbing my hands down my face. "I'll catch Finstock before he goes off to do whatever dick-head teachers do."

"That's the spirit!" Stiles went to cheer and then pat me on the back but stopped himself short once I glared at him. "Right," He whispered and then recoiled his hand, nodding his head slowly. I rolled my eyes and then shoved my backpack higher up on my shoulders.

"Let's just get this over with."

I stormed down in the direction of Finstock's office. I mumbled incoherent insults as I did so, stomping my feet, and shoving through kids who were walking slower than my dead grandmother in the hallway. Some of them gave me dirty looks and tried to snap at me but I was dead set on getting to the teacher's office. I just wanted this done and over with. I was still slightly nervous about getting in trouble because I didn't want to go through the whole thing that I was getting influenced by a bad environment at home. I would never get separated from Andre as long as she lived. Especially now that I had to actually protect her life, I couldn't let her leave my sight.

I finally made it to the end of the hallway and I sighed, staring down the cracked door. I could see Coach sitting at his desk, grading papers. I ran my tongue over my teeth, rocking on my heels when I thought about what I wanted to do. I glanced around the hallway and realized that there were only a few kids in here. I couldn't do anything drastic because people would tell Finstock that nothing happened, I'd get busted, and we wouldn't get the phone for whatever idiotic plan Stiles had in mind. I thought over millions of plans before I finally figured one out. It wouldn't get me in too much trouble because classes weren't in session and I wasn't damaging anything.

I thought of the scene in The Breakfast Club where John Bender runs down the hallways, smacking the locks, and screaming a song. He does this to get the principal to pay attention to him so the other people can get out. It worked in the movie and I couldn't see why it would work in real life.

 _"I wanna be an airborne ranger!"_ I shouted loudly, throwing my head back. I saw Coach's head snap in my direction and I smirked. I turn on my heel and ran my hands across the locker. _"I wanna lead a life of danger! Before the day I die there's five things I wanna ride!"_ I continued, hearing Finstock getting angry behind me which meant he'd gotten out of his office.

"Hey! You, shut the hell up!" Finstock scolded, his shoes pounding against the tile in the hallway. I snickered and then turned the corner.

 _"I wanna be an airborne ranger! I wanna lead a life of danger. Before the day I die there's five things I wanna ride. Bicycle, tricycle, automobile, Vernon's mother and a Ferris wheel!"_ I sang at the top of my lungs, my voice cracking and some kids looking at me. I looked over my shoulder and saw the Coach had followed me around the corner.

"You are insane." Finstock growled.

"Trust me." I muttered, nodding my head. "I know." I whispered, breathing heavily from running.

"You—you are so lucky you didn't do anything that breaks school rules. Besides, I don't want you to sit in my office for an entire hour for detention." Finstock muttered, rubbing his eyes and sighing. I saw something move out of the corner of my eyes. I turned my head and Stiles was waving at me frantically at the end of the hallway.

"Darn. You're my favorite. Gotta run!" the words all mashed together and then I sprinted off towards Stiles. Finstock yelled insults at me as I ran but I simply laughed to myself shaking my head at the ground.

It wasn't until I realized Stiles hadn't freaking moved that I looked up at him and saw that there was a star struck look on his face. "Y—you are,"—He swallowed thickly, shaking his head slowly—"audibly insane."

"Gee, I wonder why you'd say that." I snapped, putting my hands on my hips and giving him a pointed look. "You can't even thank me."

"U—um, thank you." Stiles mumbled and then sighed running his hand over his buzz cut head. "I—I just have on question…was that off The Breakfast Club?"

The corners of my mouth quirked up in an innocent smirk, "You're luck seems to be turning as we speak." I told him honestly and he rolled his eyes. I looked down at his hands and saw the Nike duffel bag. "Are those the heart monitors?"

I reached down and quickly snatched the bag from his hands. "Tessa, wait!" Stiles protested but I had already begun to pull the zipper. Once I opened the bag, I popped my jaw and stared down at the lacrosse stick and lacrosse balls inside.

"What the hell are you planning on doing, Stilinski?" I growled, shoving the bag back into his arms without zipping it back up.

"Trust me. I—I know exactly what I'm doing and it's gonna work! You just have to let me do this." Stiles begged, shifting his bag into one arm and holding up the other.

"Where is the idiot anyways? I'm not gonna let you make him wolf out by yourself." I asked, glancing around in search of Scott McCall.

"He's already outside. I told him to wait out there while I grabbed the phone." Stiles answered and I nodded. "We'd better hurry. Our free period only has like forty five minutes left and I'm not sure how long this is going to talk.

I nodded once again and then followed Stiles out a set of double doors that led to the lacrosse field. It was warmer outside today but a small chill ran through my bones, making me wrap my jacket tighter around my shoulders. I thought maybe it was the fact that I had worn shorts to school that I was cold but it didn't seem to be that. I licked my lips and glanced across the empty lacrosse field. I'd never been out here when there hadn't been other lacrosse players or lots of people cheering from the bleachers. Being out here by myself made my stomach churn and I tried to swallow the hot bile rising in my throat and threating to make a grand appearance to the two boys in front of me.

Stiles had sat down on one of the bleachers, Scott stopped in front of him. I'd stopped just behind Stiles and then looked into the bag once more.

"Now put this on." Stiles said calmly, pulling out one of the heart monitors and handing it to his friend. Scott stared down at it for a few seconds with a confused expression.

"Isn't this the specific heart rate monitor Coach uses for the track team?" Scott asked curiously and I held back the urge to slap him across the head. We had talked about this before but apparently, he'd forgotten.

"Yeah, I borrowed it, remember?" Stiles answered.

"Stole it…" Scott countered almost immediately and I snorted, covering my mouth with my hand when Stiles looked over his shoulder to glare at me.

"Temporarily misappropriated it." Stiles fixed with a slight edge to his voice. I rolled my eyes and then took a seat down on the bleacher next to Stiles. "Coach uses it to monitor his heart rate with his phone while he jogs, and you're gonna wear it for the rest of the day."

"Wait, the rest of the day?" I interjected, leaning forward and looking between the two boys. "I thought this was just for the free period." I grabbed the phone away from Stiles and held it in the air.

"That's Coach's phone?" Scott inquired, raising his eyebrows.

"Yeah, this, he stole." I muttered, dropping the phone back in Stiles's hand. A small smile appeared on Scott's face and I held on back.

"Why?" Scott asked him, obviously seeing that Stiles was putting forth a great effort just to help Scott learn to control his anger. I still believed it had something to do with the fact that Stiles just simply didn't want to have anything to do with Derek.

"Alright, well, your heart rate goes up when you go wolf, right?" Stiles asked him and I shook my head at the choice of words. Scott still nodded in response. "When you're playing lacrosse, when you're with Allison, whenever you get angry. Maybe learning to control it is tied to learning how to control your heart rate."

"Wow, for once, something you said all together makes sense." I chirped from beside him, pressing my lips together in a tight smile and batting my eyelashes.

Stiles glared at me harshly and I chuckled, looking away from him. "So…I'll be like the Incredible Hulk." Scott suddenly said, ignoring the small banter.

"Kind of like the Incredible Hulk." Stiles agreed, shrugging his shoulders.

"No, I'm like the Incredible Hulk." Scott fixed once more, nodding his head with his dorky little smile he always got on his face.

"Would you shut up and put the strap on?" Stiles ordered and Scott went to work putting on the heart monitor.

I sighed and then ran my hands through my hair, sighing softly. "I really, really, hope this works because you do understand that we could possibly die, right?" Stiles seemed slightly puzzled for a second. "Did you seriously not put in the thought that maybe we can't get Scott to get his heart rate down, he continues to stay wolfed out, kills us and everyone else inside this school in the process—including my best friends?"

"He isn't going to kill anyone, alright? This will work. I'll get his heart rate down in enough time that he can't go anywhere without being fully human." Stiles objected, glancing towards Scott whose face had turned red during my small rant.

"I—I'll do everything I can to not hurt anyone." Scott assured me and placed a hand on my shoulder. I swallowed and then nodded, smiling weakly. "Okay, what do I do now?" Scott asked, looking towards Stiles now that had the heart monitor arm.

"Now, it's time for the fun part." Stiles said coyly and then dug inside the duffel bag. He suddenly pulled out silver duct tape and pulled Scott out to the middle of the field. I stood up from my bleacher and watched from a distance. Stiles began to wrap Scott's wrists up with the duct tape, pinning his arms behind his back.

"This isn't exactly how I wanted to spend my free period." Scott told Stiles, turning his head slightly look over his shoulder. I smirked and rolled my eyes, crossing my arms over my chest and walking over towards the two boys.

"Alright, you ready?" Stiles asked Scott, the duffel bag in his hands. He'd pulled out his lacrosse stick and was walking backwards to put some distance between him and Scott. I followed Stiles and stood beside him.

"No." Scott answered quietly, looking down at the ground.

"Remember, don't get angry." Stiles reminded him. Stiles handed me Coach's phone and I opened the heart monitor app. I navigated through the app and then found the part where it would show me Scott's heartbeat.

"I'm starting to think this was a really bad idea."

"Oh, I tried to tell you this ages ago." I retorted back to Scott, smiling sarcastically and making Scott frown. I heard a small beep come from the phone and saw Scott's numbers on the phone. He was perfectly calm right now and I looked over towards Stiles. "Your time to shine, moron. Let's get this over with."

Stiles glared me, scooping up a lacrosse ball roughly with his stick. He turned his head away from me and before I could even react myself, he launched the shot forward. It flew through the air and collided with Scott's stomach. He let out a painful groan, bending over at the waist and trying to get his arms out of the tape. I heard multiple beeps come from the phone and saw that his heart rate had gone all the way up to 115. Stiles laughed slyly and it occurred to me that, yes, Stiles was helping Scott but he was enjoying this way too much. This was his payback.

The spastic boy launched another ball and it painfully smacked Scott right in the chest. I cringed, squinting my eyes and actually turning away from the teenage werewolf. Scott let out more of a yelp this time and his body moved on impact. "Okay, that one kind of hurt!" Scott called across the field to his best friend that was preparing for his next shot.

"Quiet." Stiles ordered him and I frowned at the back of Stiles's head. "Remember, you're supposed to be thinking about your heartrate—about staying calm, alright?"

Scott then repeated the phrase 'stay calm' as Stiles continued to pound him with lacrosse shots. I looked away from Scott and suddenly caught someone standing by the bleachers near the school. I narrowed my eyes and saw who was standing there. Jackson was watching us and when we met gazes, he grinned at me with an amused expression. I swallowed thickly and licked my lips, my smile shuddering as I returned it.

"AH! Son of a bitch!" Scott cried out through gritted teeth, struggling in his pained and locked state.

"Hey, you know what?" Stiles called back out to him, a small hint of mischief in his voice. "I think my aim is actually improving."

"You're a dick." I snarled from behind Stiles who opted to ignore me. It didn't matter. My attention was turned elsewhere when the phone began to beep again. I checked the numbers and my eyes slightly widened. It was at 130 beats which only meant one thing…Scott was getting angry.

Stiles continued his smack down on Scott. I looked back over to the bleachers and saw that Jackson was still standing there. I set the phone down on Stiles's duffel bag and was able to jog away from them without them paying the slightest bit of attention to me. I expected Jackson to run off when I came over but he stayed put when I approached him.

"I shouldn't be surprised you're hanging out with those two assheads." Jackson said to me, keeping the same stupid grin on his face. He looked worse than when I'd seen him after the video store. There were deep, dark bags underneath his eyes and his skin was still the ugly pale.

"What are you doing out here, Jackson? Don't you have other things to do?" I asked in an annoyed tone, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Well, it is our free period so, no, I don't." Jackson pointed out, shaking his head and turning his grin into a smug smile. "Don't you have other things to do?"

"No." I answered sharply, shooting him an irritated look. "You know, I saved your life and you didn't even have the audacity to thank me."

Jackson's smile fell short and his jaw clenched. He exhaled through his nose and glanced around, tapping his foot. "I haven't been around you in days. You've been hanging around them so much."

"Don't blame them." I growled defensively after Jackson had nodded in the direction of my friends. "I have classes with you all the time. I—I've sat with Lydia had lunch. Hell, I've passed by you in the hallways but not once have you even tried to show me that you are somewhat grateful that I saved you."

"What did you even save me from, Tessa, hm? Did you save me from a mountain lion—an animal?" Jackson taunted and he was leaned forward, rising up his eyebrows. I could see it in his eyes. He was suspicious. He was just has suspicious as I had been. "And don't try to play dumb with me because I know that you don't think it was a mountain lion." He whispered the last bit and I swallowed slowly.

"Jackson, I don't know what we saw that night." I told him calmly, keeping my voice low and trying not to show him that I was almost ultimately terrified.

He watched me for a few seconds, cocking his head to the side. He then took a step forward and placed his hands on either side of me. I was pressed up against the bleachers and Jackson was dangerously close to me. I could feel his breath against my face and I wished one of the boys would see me at this point—try and stop Jackson.

"Tessa, do you honestly think I believe that?" Jackson asked lowly, bending down slightly so he could look into my eyes. "I'm not a freaking idiot like all the rest of your friends. Well, I mean, besides Allison. She—she is so much better than anyone."

"Shut up." I spat, jutting my head out and almost smacking noses with him. "You have a girlfriend, remember?"

"Oh of course I remember." Jackson answered nodding his head quickly. "But I—I can't help shake this feeling I get when I'm around Allison."

"Why are you telling me this? Aren't you afraid I'll tell Lydia or even Allison herself?" I challenged, cocking up an eyebrow.

"No, I'm not afraid of that, actually." Jackson responded and he seemed so content with this, having me pressed against the bleachers and telling me things I didn't want to hear. I couldn't get away. I was too afraid to try and run. "I'm telling you this, well, because Allison is your best friend, right? I mean, maybe you could put in a good word for me." Jackson broke out into a grin and winked.

"You're disgusting." I muttered, rolling my eyes. "And maybe you really are an idiot. She likes Scott. She's _dating_ Scott!"

"That's such a shame." Jackson tutted, shaking his head at the ground. "Maybe I'll just have to fire my gun in a different direction, hit another target." As he spoke, he'd lifted his head and hand up. He brushed a strand of hair behind my ear and I jerked away from his touch. "The easiest part about this whole plan is that you aren't dating anyone. You aren't shackled to another human being."

"But you're dating, Lydia, Jackson. You are in a relationship, remember? Or maybe you've been so caught up in staring at yourself in the mirror that you forgot." I retorted and he chuckled, not fazed by my taunts at all.

"That's my favorite thing about you. You're so guarded and no one can figure you out. No one understands why Tessa Bradley doesn't like people or lives with only her older sister." Jackson explained looking off somewhere behind me. "You're so special to me because I can see right through you. I can see through all the sarcasm and giant brick walls you've built."

"Let me go." I hissed out but it sounded more like a desperate breath.

"You've been hiding something from everyone, haven't you?" Jackson asked as he hooked his fingers in the chain link behind me. "Something happened to your parents. That—that's pretty obvious but no one knows what. I'll admit, I don't know either but it was something bad."

"Go to hell." I growled and clenched my fists at my sides. "You don't get to just dig into my personal life."

"It is very personal isn't?" Jackson thought for a moment nodding his head slowly. "I guess that just gives me that much more of a reason to be come closer with you." Jackson whispered in my ear and then pushed himself off the bleachers. He walked backwards for a few seconds, pressing his tongue to his cheek when he saw that I was tense and had my eyes squeezed shut. He then turned on his heel and walked off up towards the school. I let out a long breath of relief and looked over my shoulder.

I suddenly saw Scott's arms rip out from behind his back. Pieces of silver duct tape went flying through the air and my eyes widened. I quickly gathered myself and I sprinted off towards the boys. "Stiles! Stiles, what's going on?" I asked frantically once I'd reached them and Stiles shook his head curtly. I heard the beeping on the phone in Stiles's hand getting faster and faster. We watched Scott nervously as he groaned and dug his fingers inside the grass. Only a few moments later, the beeping on the phone slowed and I looked down. His heartrate was decreasing. "Look," I breathed out to Stiles.

We shuffled over to the werewolf and I knelt down beside him, resting my hands on his back and feeling his start to calm down. "Scott?" Stiles muttered softly. "You started to change." Scott fell over onto his side, my hands still resting on him.

"From anger…" Scott admitted. "But it was more than that. It was like, the angrier I got, the stronger I felt."

"Well, you were reaching your strongest point. You were turning into your werewolf side." I pointed out, calmly running my hand down his side to relax him.

"So it is anger than. Derek's right." Stiles said, nodding his head.

"I can't be around Allison." Scott told us and I frowned.

"Why not?" I asked him. "Does she make you angry?"

"No because she makes me weak." Scott answered and I furrowed my brow together and I shook my head.

"T—that doesn't make any sense. I mean, wouldn't being weak help your heartrate slow and then you wouldn't wolf out?" I asked, looking between the two of them.

"It's the opposite." Stiles clarified. "She makes his heartrate go insane and he loses any small bit of control he could possibly have."

I sighed and then dropped my head, chewing on my bottom lip. "So he could easily wolf out and hurt her."

Stiles exhaled deeply and stood up to his full height. "Exactly."

* * *

"Let's go. Sit, sit, sit, sit." Finstock ordered as soon as the bell rang throughout the entire school. I shuffled in behind Scott and Stiles, taking my usual seat beside Scott. "We have a lot to cover today. Let's go. Quicker!"

"Hey, Stiles, sit behind me." Scott suddenly hissed, slamming his hands down on the desk behind his usual seat. I continued to sit down, taking out my books and watching them curiously. Stiles was about get into the seat when Allison suddenly appeared. Stiles mumbled something and then shuffled backwards, sitting down behind me. I swallowed nervously when I remembered the conversation we had outside. If Allison sat behind Scott, his heartrate would speed up and he would wolf out in a small room with lots of kids, including Allison, Stiles, Lydia, and me. Scott and Allison began to talk so I quickly spun around to face Stiles who was rolling his eyes.

"Hey," I hissed angrily, slapping his desk when he hadn't realized I'd turned around. He jumped and looked down towards me. "Idiot, do you not remember what we talked about like ten minutes ago?"

"Yeah, I do." Stiles grumbled back to me and whipped out Coach's phone. "I have it right here to make sure it doesn't go above 130."

"God, why does it have to be his girlfriend, huh? Why can't it be, like, Greenburg or—or that chick Harley."

Stiles made a face. "First off, Scott doesn't swing for that team. Second, Harley hates Scott." He held up his fingers and I frowned.

"Perfect, simply and irrevocably perfect." I growled, slowly turning back around to face the front of the room. Coach Finstock slammed a book down and stared at us.

"Let's settle down." He ordered to the class and Scott turned around in his seat. We shot each other nervous glances and I gave him a curt nod. "Let's start with a quick summary of last night's reading."

I groaned, dropping my head into my hands. Of course I hadn't read. I'd been too busy thinking about other things that freaking economics. "Greenburg, put your hand down. Everybody knows you did the reading." Finstock grumbled when the boy in the very back raised his hand. He then proceeded to put it back down and I sighed. "How bout uh…McCall?" Finstock suddenly said and I shifted in my seat, Stiles doing the same. I guess we were both on edge.

"What?" Scott mumbled in a very breath of a whisper.

"The reading," Finstock repeated again, taking a seat on the edge of his desk.

"Last night's reading?" Scott clarified and I realized that he was stalling because, surprise, he hadn't done the reading either.

"How bout, uh, the reading of the Gettysburg Address?" Coach taunted, giving Scott an almost deadly serious look.

"What?" Scott repeated himself and I covered my mouth with my hand, afraid if I laughed, I'd have to give a summary of the reading I didn't do.

"That's sarcasm." Finstock told him. "You familiar with the term 'sarcasm', McCall?" Scott moved his head back with his mouth open, finally understanding something. I had dropped my hands down onto my desk and suddenly saw Scott's eyes fall onto Stiles and I.

"Very." Scott answered and I smirked while Stiles threw his head back sheepishly. I rolled my eyes and then returned my attention back to Finstock.

"Did you do the reading or not?" Finstock asked, exasperated with having to wait this long for a freaking summary of a short reading assignment.

"Um…" Scott made a croaking noise and I awaited his answer. "I—I think I forgot." He told Finstock and I grimaced, waiting for a retort from the teacher.

"Nice work, McCall. It's not like you're averaging a 'D' in this class." Finstock muttered, shaking his head. "Come on, buddy. You I can't keep you on the team if you have a 'D'." He was leaned down on Scott's desk and I chewed on my bottom lip, bouncing my leg rapidly beneath my desk. "How about you summarize, uh, the previous night's reading. No? How about, uh, the night before that?"  
 _Beep. Beep. Beep._

"How about you summarize anything you've ever read in your entire life?"

 _BeepBeepBeepBeep_

"Stiles," I breathed out nervously, Finstock not even being able to hear my voice over his own loud tone. I closed my eyes and sucked in a deep breath, praying to God that something wouldn't happen in the next five seconds. I zoned out of Finstock's constant yelling and the only sound I seemed to hear was the beeping. Although it reminded me of dangerously dark times, I continued to remember that this could ultimately be worse. Dozens of kids could be slaughtered and there'd only be one person to a point a finger at. Scott could kill people and die himself.

 _BeepBeepBeepBeepBeepBeep_

Suddenly, after more of Coach's ranting, the beeping slowed. I opened my eyes and perked up in my seat, looking around with a semi-confused expression. Finally, I found the reason for the slowed heartbeat and it happened to be a hand clasped in Scott's beneath his desk. I followed the other arm and found that it was Allison's. She'd grabbed his hand and was calming him down. Maybe she made him weak, but in the opposite way that we had thought. She made his heartrate slow down, not rise.

* * *

"Okay, stand right there." Scott placed Stiles beside the car. "Do you have your keys?" He asked as I stepped off to the side. Scott pulled his house keys out of his pocket. "Perfect. Hold'em up like so," He made Scott lift his hand in the air. "Now, whatever happens, just think about Allison. Try to find her voice like you did at the game. Got it?" Scott hesitated and then nodded. "Okay. Just…keep holding it right there."

Stiles then pulled out his keys, walking away from Scott. I heard a sound of metal scratching against metal and cringed, covering my ears with my hands. When I finally realized what was happening, my eyes widened. "Stiles you fu—"

"Hey, hey, dude!" Stiles shouted, loudly. "What do you think you're doing to that truck bro?" Stiles pointed a hand out towards Scott.

"What the hell?" a voice shouted from a different group of boys. I snapped my head in the direction of them and saw that they were beginning to walk towards the innocent boy. Suddenly, a fist collided with Scott's face and I heard Stiles squeak from his spot on the sidewalk. I was still against the school but something thrived in me—something I hadn't felt in a long time.

Scott retaliated but he was not strong enough against the other boy. I shuffled a few steps forward, my fists clenching and my jaw setting. They pulled Scott back by his feet and then flipped him over, landing blows on him. Quickly, I sprinted forward and placed my hands on the chest of the kid who was beating Scott. I pushed forward and the kid stumbled back out of shock and clumsiness. He looked down at himself before looking at me. For a moment, I thought he was afraid but I was wrong when he started laughing at me which only fueled my fire.

"Leave him alone, asshole." I growled, stepping over Scott and taking a defensive stance over him.

"What? Is he your boyfriend?" the kid teased and I rolled my eyes.

"How about you just leave him alone and prance on back to first grade?" I countered and the kid seemed slightly stunned by my sarcastic manner.

"And how are you gonna make me?" the boy snarled and I pressed my tongue to my cheek, nodding slowly. Then, before he could react, I swung my fist out. It collided with the bottom of his jaw, the sound of my knuckles hitting his jawbone reaching my ears. I heard Stiles once again make a small noise but ignored him as the other boy went stumbling backwards into a few of his friends.

"That's how I'm gonna make you. I got a few more rounds, you wanna try me?" I challenged, cocking up my eyebrows and raising my fists in the air.

"Would you like to try me, Ms. Bradley?" another voice suddenly said from behind me and I fell stock still, my breathing stopping and my eyes widening. I turned around and saw Mr. Harris looming over Scott who was still on the ground. "What do you idiots think you're doing?"

"What do you think we're doing? What about the kids who were just beating the crap out of Scott?" I protested, swinging my arm out to point to Scott.

"I was only aware of you punching another kid in the face and then proceeding to provoke them into fighting you." Mr. Harris answered calmly and I frowned. "I do see a pair of keys lying down to Mr. McCall and a very large scratch on the side of this truck."

"Maybe you should join the detective unit at the police station." I retorted, glaring at him and flexing my knuckles. "But we didn't do anything wrong. I was protecting my friend."

"You were fighting a battle he could have fought on his own." Mr. Harris translated and my shoulder sagged out of defeat. "Detention, all of you, now."

* * *

"Stiles, I don't understand. What's going on?" I asked as I was suddenly shoved into the passenger side of the Jeep.

"The alpha—we found the alpha." Stiles answered breathlessly, putting the Jeep into drive and peeling away from my house.

"What!?" I practically shouted, bouncing in my seat. "W—who is it? I—is it someone we know?" I was stammering over my words and my vision spun for a second.

"It's Scott's boss at the animal clinic." Stiles answered bluntly and I frowned for a second, blinking.

"Uh…that is so not dramatic." I grumbled, rubbing my forehead. "How do you guys know anyways? Did you catch him?"

Stiles paused for a second, chewing on the inside of his cheek. "Um, well, Derek found out and caught him." Stiles answered and I went silent until snorting.

"I'm surprised Derek didn't take the first chance and try to kill him." I thought aloud and Stiles snorted back in response.

"Well, we need answers first." He pointed out and I nodded in agreement. "Bring you along is a lot more dangerous than anything you've had to go through today. You listen to what we tell you to do and don't do anything by yourself."

"Okay, let me remind you that I'm 16 not 4." I retorted, rolling my eyes.

"That's up for debate." Stiles smiled at me fiercely and I glared. "But seriously. I don't want you to get hurt."

"Stiles, I won't get hurt, alright? Stop worrying." I meant for it to be calm reassurance but it turned into a snap. I grimaced at my tone and then shifted in my seat, turning to face the window. We picked up Scott and I climbed into the backseat. I stayed quiet the rest of the way to the school where Derek had agreed to meet us. I wasn't wondering if he even knew that I knew now and was curious to see how this would all play out. I was nervous to stand in front of the alpha in its human form. I was afraid I might do something stupid and try to beat the crap out of it but I was sure Derek had done that already to get the alpha here.

We pulled into the parking lot, the lights on the Jeep lighting up everything in front of us. I saw Derek standing in front of an all-black Camaro. He didn't look very happy, his hands shoved into the pockets of his leather jacket and that same brooding look on his face. He did look a lot better than the last time I'd seen him and, now that I thought about it that had really been the last time I'd seen him. I licked my lips and shifted nervously in the back seat of the Jeep. I assumed that inside that Camaro was the alpha. I hadn't expected it to be this easy to catch him but we'd finally done it. I wasn't sure what the next step was after this. Would all of the murders in Beacon Hills finally be resolved? Would we be able to keep our secret easier? Would Allison's family leave because they now had nothing to hunt for? It was multiple questions that couldn't be answered until later in our lives. Oddly, I was getting anxious.

We pulled into a parking space and as soon as the car was shut off, we all got out of the car. Scott helped me out and I landed on my feet, fixing my jacket on my shoulders. I looked around and didn't like the feeling I got looking at the dark school. None of the lights in the parking lot seemed to be on and considering it was late, no lights were on in the school. Andre thought I was out studying with Stiles and Scott. She'd grown to know they were my close friends and wasn't reluctant to let me go. I didn't really appreciate lying to her but I remembered that this was going to keep her safe. Lying was the only way to make sure that she stayed alive.

Scott was on my left and Stiles was on my right as walked across the parking lot towards Derek. He turned around to face us but when his eyes landed on me, he frowned deeply and moved his hands out of his pockets to cross his arms over his chest.

"What is she doing here?" He asked in a low tone, his glare settling on Scott mostly but he didn't let Stiles off easily. He flickered his gaze between the two boys only landing on me for a brief second.

"We told her everything." Scott answered, trying to sound confident but his front faltered underneath Derek's snarl.

"You told her?" Derek growled, taking a step forward and making me want to jump backwards thousands of feet. "Are you two complete morons?"

"Derek, she needed to know." Stiles argued, taking a small step in front of me. "She'd been through so much and she was getting suspicious."

"She is best friends with the Argent girl." Derek pointed out dangerously. "She could get us all killed."

"But I'm not going to." I stuck up for myself, shoving passed Stiles. "I want to help Scott with whatever he needs. He's my friend and I don't want him to die. I hope that's a good enough reason for you to trust me just a little bit, alright?"

"I'm not going to trust you." Derek snapped and I huffed, pursing my lips. "But I'll believe you when you say you aren't going to tell her."

"Glad we're on the same page." I said with a sickly sweet smile which Derek returned with a glare. I spun around to face the boys. "This is a terrible idea."

"I know." Scott whispered, shaking his head.

"But we're still gonna do it?" Stiles asked Scott incredulously, holding his hands out to his sides.

"Can you think of something better?" Scott countered, holding out his arms like Stiles had and I actually waited for Stiles's answer.

"Well, personally I'm a fan of ignoring a problem until it eventually goes away." Stiles answered and I rolled my eyes, sighing and scratching my forehead.

"Okay, well, that's not the case right now. The alpha is in Derek's car and if it goes away, we're probably never going to get a chance to catch it again." I mentioned and Stiles made a face, nodding in agreement.

"Just make sure we can get inside." Scott said, nodding his head up towards the school.

"Wait, we're going inside the school?" I protested, stepping in between them. This was going to be a very eventful night.

* * *

 **AN: Damn, this chapter is late. I'm so sorry! I know this chapter also sucks ass because it's so chopped up and I skipped over a lot of scenes. This was already a long chapter and it would have been very long if I would have continued on. I guess I should mention now that the next chapter is going to start off with the very end of this episode where Derek gets attacked by the alpha and they run inside. That will basically run into Night School and then we'll continue off from there.**

 **Did anyone catch the whole Breakfast Club thing because if you did, let me know how you liked it because I freaking loved it! I also am aware that I didn't get too much interaction with Allison or Lydia in either chapters which sort of sucks. I love writing them together and I guess these last two chapters revolved around Tessa getting involved with the werewolf business. And yes, I am also very aware that Derek arrives at the school after the boys do but I switched it up a little bit sorry.**

 **As always leave reviews! S/O to _myharlequinromance321_ for again one of my most favorite reviews ever and _Alsynea_ for the adorable review- I'm glad you liked the shirtless Scott moment!**


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

Now that I knew we'd be going inside the school, I was glad I had changed my clothes. I was tired of wearing the shorts and, surprise, it was getting colder out. I was now wearing a pair of black joggers with two white accent lines going to the sides. I wore a pair of dark gray Vans and a Nike sweatshirt that had a teal accent color along the cuffs and hoodie that was a light gray color. My hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail with some hairs hanging out at the sides. I had been doing homework when Stiles had called me in almost a panic and told me that Derek and Scott had found the alpha. I was planning out going to bed when I was finished and then waking up to a new and, sadly, eventful day. I'd have to go through the constant panic that someone was going to hurt us or Allison was going to find out about werewolves. I now had the fact that Jackson was trying to figure out what I'd been hiding—the death of my father and my past—but I wasn't even sure if the last part was even worth hiding anymore. I had punched a kid in the face and got detention for it. Harris said he wouldn't contact my sister this time but if it happened again, there was going to be an expensive price to pay. It didn't take an idiot to figure out just what exactly he meant by that.

Even though I had a sweatshirt on, I still shivered when a small breeze blew through the parking lot. Scott, Stiles, and I all approached the black Camaro.

"Where's my boss?" Scott asked, sounding mildly worried. Even with as much evidence as we somehow had, I felt that this wasn't the end. Scott's boss was not the alpha—we had the wrong guy. I kept to myself and waited for Derek's response.

"He's in the back." Derek replied back in almost a low hiss, as if telling Scott to not talk so loud. There wasn't anyone else here so I wouldn't understand why he'd want us to stay quiet. Upon Derek's answer, I followed Scott to look inside the window of the Camaro. The backseat was lit up by the moon shining high in the sky and a saw something shoved into the back. There was duct tape over the man's mouth and around his entire body. There was a small trace of blood smeared across his face and for a second, I thought he was dead but I saw his chest move up and down slowly.

"Oh, well, he looks comfortable." Stiles thought aloud with sarcasm. He lifted up his head and gave Derek a pointed look. Scott nudged him in the shoulder and then began to walk around towards the school. Stiles began to follow him but I stayed put.

"Wait, hey, what are you doing?" Derek protested, still having not moved from his place by the driver's side of the Camaro.

"You said I was linked with the alpha." Scott answered calmly, as if Derek should already know the answer to what he was exactly doing. Then, Scott looked down at me. "Are you coming?"

I sucked in a deep breath and was about to give him my answer when I swallowed. I looked over my shoulder at Derek and then sighed, shaking my head. "I, uh, think I'll stay out here." I answered and I saw Stiles narrow his eyes slightly.

"Why?" He inquired slowly, his voice becoming suspicious.

"I need to talk to Derek." I answered with a slight edge of defense.

"No!" Stiles immediately objected, settling his stance. "You really think I'm that stupid to leave you out here with—with," Stiles sputtered for a few moments before throwing out his arm towards Derek, " _him?_ "

Derek made a small noise in the back of his throat, obviously not pleased with Stiles's choice of words. I shot Derek a look over my shoulder and then turned back to Stiles. "Look, I've literally stood in a bathroom with a locked door by myself with him. Besides, he'd have no reason to hurt me anyways."

"I could find one." Derek grumbled and I glared at the older werewolf fiercely over my shoulder.

"That is exactly what I mean!" Stiles squeaked, bouncing on his toes and throwing his arms out at his sides. "I don't trust him."

"Neither do I but we have to trust him if we're going to figure out this whole alpha problem." I pointed out, raising my eyebrows at Stiles and giving him a knowing look. "I have to talk to Derek, alright? He deserves to at least get some kind of explanation as to why his secret was lent out to me."

"He doesn't deserve anything." Stiles spat but with not as much distaste as you would expect. "What he deserves is for you to not stay out here with him."

"Stiles shut up." I groaned, dropping my face in my hands. "You voice is literally making my ears want to bleed."

"You are unbelievable." He sighed, shaking his head.

"Go inside and do whatever the hell you need to. I'll be fine." I finally said, lifting up my hands and glaring at him dangerously, silently asking him to test me.

Stiles wanted to keep arguing but Scott urged him along, exchanging a trustful nod with me. Once they went all the up the stairs and disappeared inside the school, I crossed my arms over my chest and turned to face Derek.

"What do you want?" Derek asked me with an annoyed tone that made me roll my eyes. I walked over and stopped just at the door behind the driver's side. I leaned up against it and gave him a pointed look.

"I—I know that you're upset that I know." I said and Derek didn't move. "I doubt it'd make any difference if I promised you I wouldn't breathe a word to anyone."

"You're right. It doesn't make any difference." Derek replied and I grimaced slightly, looking away from him and down at the ground.

"Look, I don't want to tell anyone anything anytime because I have people to protect now too." I told him softly, kicking at some rocks on the pavement. "I—I have my sister and Lydia."

"Why are you telling me this?" Derek questioned, crossing his arms over his chest and settling his stance.

"I'm telling you this because I want to have a least a strip of trust in me, okay? I—I know that I'm just some stupid teenage girl but I am loyal." I explained, getting up off the car and squaring my shoulders with him. "I wouldn't do anything that put anyone in danger. I thought you'd understand that after I practically helped save your life."

Derek's jaw clench and he knew I was right. He looked away from me and exhaled deeply, his nostrils flaring. "You shouldn't have gotten involved."

"But I did." I countered, jutting out my head. "And I don't understand why you have such a hard time just accepting that."

"You willing threw yourself in a line of fire, Tessa." Derek growled, his gaze snapping back towards me. "And I'm worried that you'll do that literally."

"I will if that means saving people I care about." I said with a small squeak in my voice. Derek's eyes fell shut for a moment and he looked down at the ground. "Derek, I don't think you understand that I understand the extent of everything I'm getting involved with. I know how dangerous this is, alright? So quit trying to downgrade my knowledge over everything."

"I'm not downgrading your knowledge." Derek argued, shaking his head. "I'm saying that I don't want two human teenagers get killed because they were stupid enough to run with the wolves."

His words meant more than they should have. I felt like someone shoved a vacuum cleaner down my throat and sucked all the air out of me. It actually made me blink and then drop my hands down to my sides, almost spinning my world quickly. I swallowed thickly and cleared my throat. "We're stupid but we're doing this because we care about our friend. We'll run with werewolves any day if it means we get to stay by our friend's side." I defended calmly, my voice lower than I intended.

"You don't deserve to get killed over something like this, Tessa." Derek informed me and his voice was as calm as mine. "And I know you have a sister. And I know what it feels like to want to protect them from danger."

"How do you know what it feels like, huh? I haven't heard of any other Hale members running around Beacon Hills." I challenged, cocking up my eyebrow. It was then I saw a dangerously serious look flood Derek's pupils along with an unfamiliar emotion of metal anguish. He dropped his head, not wanting to make eye contact with me anymore and I swallowed, suddenly growing nervously with the situation.

"I would have thought Stiles would have told you by now." Derek said to me. "I mean, I wouldn't be surprised considering he's told you everything else."

"Tell me what, Derek?" I demanded, crossing my arms over my chest.

"You ever wonder why my house is burned to ashes?" Derek asked me, his tone different than any other tone I'd heard before. "Someone set fire to that house with my entire family inside. Everyone died except for my uncle and I."

I blinked, sucking in a deep breath as my challenging demeanor instantly faded away. "Oh my God," I breathed out. "Derek, I—"

"Don't apologize." Derek snapped, holding up a hand just a few inches away from my face. "I honestly don't need any apology. Trust me, I've heard it more than I can count in my head."

"You don't know who set the fire?" I asked and Derek shook his head.

"We were all inside the basement. Suddenly, the house is in flames and it's all sort of…dark from there." He explained, shrugging his shoulders. "All I know afterwards is that everyone I loved is dead."

I pursed my lips and nodded, looking down at the ground. "I take back what I said earlier." I exhaled sharply, my shoulders bouncing slightly. "You do know what it's like to want to protect the people you love from danger."

"Which is another reason why you shouldn't have gotten involved." Derek put up the same broody barrier he always had with me after letting it down for a few seconds.

"Derek, if I would have been clueless and the alpha decided to keep targeting places I was in, I'd walk right into one of his traps and be dead already leaving Andre with no one to protect her." I argued, shaking my head ruthlessly. "If I know, I can—I can at least have some knowledge of what I'm up against."

"Tessa, don't you understand?" Derek hissed, stepping forward a few feet. "No one knows what we're up against, including me."

"Then what the hell are we doing here? What if Scott really is linked to the alpha and that things comes shooting up out of your Camaro?" I hissed back, almost slamming into his chest as I stepped forward. "Did you ever think about that?"

"It won't happen." Derek told me confidently and I glared at him. "And even if it did, I'd make sure to get you out of here."

"What about you?" It seemed that Derek was slightly thrown off by my quiet voice asking about his safety. He didn't answer for a moment and blinked, clenching his jaw tightly as he looked away. "Derek, what about you?"

Our conversation was suddenly interrupted by a loud shrill noise coming from the school. It sounded strangely like a cat getting strangled and it made Derek and I jump. We looked around frantically for a few moments before Derek finally figured out what it was and it didn't take long for me to figure it out either.

"You have got to be kidding me." Derek muttered, scrubbing his hands down his face and shaking his head. I licked my lips and then turned around, looking inside the Camaro window. Scott's boss was still motionless and I chewed on the inside of my cheek nervously. I was afraid that my theory about Scott's boss not being the alpha was going to be right and our hopes were brought up for nothing. Then, a different noise came through the speakers and echoed through the parking lot. It was low growl—something that I only heard in my worst nightmares. It seemed to shake the ground beneath us and I slammed my hands down on the top of Derek's car to freaking steady myself.

"Holy shit," I breathed out once it was over and shortly after, the two boys came stumbling out of the front of the school.

"I'm gonna kill both of you!" Derek shouted, pointing towards the boys. "What the hell was that!? What are you trying to do, attract the entire states of the school?"

"Sorry." Scott muttered but Stiles had a very proud smile on his face. I rolled my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose, shaking my head at the ground. "I didn't know it would be that loud."

"Yeah it was loud." Stiles added from beside him. "And it was _awesome_." Stiles said in a sing-song voice.

"You two are idiots." I grumbled, coming to stand beside Derek. "You literally have probably woken up the whole town."

"Shut up." Derek said to Stiles, ignoring me.

"Don't be such a sourwolf." Stiles whined, gesturing towards Derek. Scott slammed his hand down on his arm and shoved it back down. I shook my head and then turned to face the Camaro once more. I ducked down and looked in the window when my heart stopped beating in my chest.

"Oh my God," I breathed out in a very panicked tone. "Oh my God!"

"What? What's going on?" Derek asked, turning around to look at me. He took a small step forward as Scott shoved himself beside me.

"What did you do with him?" Scott squeaked, seeing the same scene I was. The door on the opposite side of us was open, the seat pushed back as if someone had gotten out. At this time, someone really had and we believed it was a murderous alpha werewolf. I felt it rising up from my toes into my legs and then into my stomach. My vision was flashing white every time I blinked and it became harder to breathe. I was undeniably and irritatingly panicking.

"He's gone." I muttered, shoving one hand on top of my head and grabbing a fistful of my hair. "He's gone. He's gone." I repeated constantly, my voice finally fading away but none of the boys seemed to notice.

"I didn't do anything." Derek told Scott and Stiles sounding completely innocent. He was telling the truth. Derek and I had been talking to each other the entire time.

Before I could react, there was a low growl behind us. I spun to face Derek and heard the sound of ripping flesh. Derek's eyes widened and his mouth fell open as his body jerked forward. As soon as his mouth opened, blood spilled out of his mouth, spitting out onto the front of me considering how close I was to him. I gasped, my eyes also widening in pure terror. I looked down and saw claws sticking out of the front of his chest. Slowly, Derek's feet began to lift up off the ground and when I tipped my head upwards, a scream tore through my lips. I probably would regret it later but my brain told me to scream and my mouth complied. The alpha was holding Derek up in the air an actual sinister grin placed across his face, written in fangs. There was the same loud growl coming from him as Derek writhed in pain. His arms were held out to his sides as he continued to cough out blood. My scream was making my throat dry and it was silenced when a hand clamped over my mouth. One arm wrapped around my waist and I felt myself being pulled away from Derek.

I struggled against the arm, kicking and yelling complete nonsense into the hand. I thrusted my hips upward in effort to get away but whoever was holding me was strong so I guessed it was Scott. My breathing came out in deep pants as I watched Derek's life slowly fade from his eyes. I felt my heart slamming into my chest and I finally gave up, falling limp inside the arm and letting my eyes fall shut. I let out a deep breath and then tried not to let a single tear fall. I hadn't even made it a week. Derek was dead and we had let him die. His blood was covering my hoodie and some parts of my face. It felt like the drops were burning into my skin and my throat ached from screaming so much. We had let someone die. We had failed one of our most valuable tasks.

I was suddenly thrown into the school, stumbling forward but managing to catch my stance. I spun around to face the boys who were shutting the school doors they had just opened. They crouched down and looped their arms in between the metal bar you pushed to open up the doors. I decided to not be completely useless and climbed down beside Stiles, holding on to the door. I closed my eyes, resting my forehead against the cold metal and taking deep breaths. I couldn't get the image out of my head and I struggled to complete cope with reality. I was wondering how Scott and Stiles felt at this moment but this wasn't exactly the right time to ask them. Although we were in complete silence, minus our breathing, we didn't speak or try to move away from the doors.

"Lock it!" Scott suddenly shouted through the silence, making me jump.

"Do I look like I have a key?" Stiles retorted in annoyance, sounding as terrified as anyone in this room.

"Grab something!" Scott suggested and I shook my head.

"What?" Stiles asked, obviously hoping Scott had a real answer.

"Anything!" He cried desperately in response. Stiles had been swinging on the spot when he suddenly stopped his face going blank.

"No!" I growled, slapping his arm. "I know that look. That's the look you get when you have an idea and it's normally a stupid one." Stiles looked at me blankly and I waited for him to roll his eyes or squawk in offense. Instead, he shot up and looked through the window. He looked around and I waited anxiously at his feet. "Stiles!" It wasn't a cry of his name but it was more of a scold.

Scott shot up at the sound of my voice and looked through the window himself. I decided to join them and scanned through the scene in search of anything Stiles might be looking at. It was then my eyes landed on the pair of bolt cutters Stiles had used to break inside the school earlier and I swallowed thickly.

"No." Scott breathed out, spinning to face Stiles.

"Yes." Stiles argued and slammed the flashlight into Scott's chest.

"Stiles, no, please." I begged, my voice coming out in a breathless whisper. "Don't go out there." Stiles gave me one last look before shoving his way through the doors. "Stiles!" This time it was a cry of his name and I shot forward to follow him.

"Tessa, no!" Scott suddenly wrapped his arms around my waist and jerked me backwards. He pressed me against his chest and I tried to push his arms off of me.

"Scott, let go of me." I growled, slamming my hands down on his wrists. I was desperate to get out of his hold, not wanting yet another person to die tonight. Scott shuffled closer to the window, ignoring my protests and letting me look out. I saw Stiles making his way down the small steps and towards the yellow bolt cutters. He bent to pick them up and that's when I saw something move out of the corner of my eye. I quickly looked over and my desperation to get out of Scott's arms increased. "The alpha—Scott the alpha is out there!" I shrieked, shoving my finger against the window and pointing towards the giant animal crawling its way around Stiles's Jeep. When Scott saw the animal, he gasped loudly.

"Come back! Come back, Stiles!" Scott shouted frantically, letting go of me to slam his palms on the plastic window. I hopped to the other window in effort to get his attention and bounced on my feet.

"Stiles! Get your ass back in here!" I screamed, slamming one fist down on the window hard enough, I heard a small bit of plastic crack underneath me. Stiles flicked his head around and saw the alpha beginning to approach him and I saw his body shake at the sight of being so close to it. To my worst nightmare, the alpha began to sprint towards Stiles. "STILES!" I completely cried out now, the voice ringing through the hallways and defienently making its way out to the spastic boy. I could feel my eyes stinging in fear for my friend and slammed my fists on the door this time, hitting it to hopefully put him into motion. Luckily it did and he began to hurry back up towards the doors.

He shoved his way inside and I snatched the bolt cutters from his hands. I opened them up and then shoved them against the doors, sticking each of the handles into the metal bars on the double doors. Scott bent down to hang onto the metal bar again as I held onto the bolt cutters. Stiles had stepped backwards, panting along with the rest of us. When the door didn't move, Scott and I both lifted up to look through the window. I scanned the parking lot but realized it was completely empty. I had initially expected to see the alpha right in front of the doors but he wasn't and that scared me even more. We'd lost the alpha again and this time, he was solely after us.

"Where is it?" Scott panted, lifting up the flashlight and clicking it on. He pressed the light again the window and tried to probe it through the parking lot himself. "Where'd it go?"

"It's gone. We lost it." I muttered, closing my eyes and resting my forehead against the smooth surface. I breathed heavily, my hands still holding onto the bolt cutters. I swallowed and then licked my lips. "I am going to kill you." I then growled, spinning slowly on my heel to face Stiles. His eyes widened at my deadly serious tone and he took a step back. "You could have died!" I slapped him in the shoulder and he winced away from me, glaring offensively.

"I don't really appreciate you slapping me after I went through one of the most traumatizing things in the whole universe." He snapped and I narrowed my eyes.

"You don't understand how traumatizing that was for me, Stiles." I argued, shaking my head and clenching up my fists. "I was about to see yet another person die tonight!" I squeaked, bouncing on my toes.

"Guys, we need to move. That won't hold." Scott said and then turned to look at Stiles. "Will it?"

"Probably not." Stiles answered shakily as we backed away from the doors. I stood in between them, staring down the bolt cutters. I was afraid I'd see them rattle and the doors would come flying open, the alpha barreling right towards us. We then turned around and faced the dark hallways, then realizing our current situation. We were locked inside the school currently being excavated by a man-eating alpha werewolf. Why was it my luck that the first time I officially get to spend a day helping Scott with his werewolf business, we get locked inside a school, fighting for our lives?

Stiles clicked on the flashlight and as soon as he did so, a howl broke through our silence we had lapsed into and goose bumps ran over my skin as I sucked in a deep breath. Just the simple sound made my blood run cold and reality slap me in the face. It seemed to slap the boys too and we took off running. They were in front of me and I rushed to keep up with them. I was glad I wasn't completely out of shape because they were running faster than any track star I'd ever seen on T.V. We didn't have to run far and took a sharp turn into a classroom with an open door. I slid inside, my sneakers slipping against the tile floors and I caught myself on the door frame. Stiles's flashlight was swinging wildly, swinging off the metal chairs and windows.

"The desk," he ordered over our running and breathing. Stiles latched onto the edge of the teacher's desk and began to slide it over towards the door. Scott got on the other side and began to help him with Stiles's hand flew up. "Stop, stop!" He whispered frantically, looking over his shoulder. "The door's not gonna keep it out."

"I know." Scott replied back.

"I hate your boss." Stiles suddenly said, his voice slightly overlapping Stiles's voice. Scott had muttered a noise that meant he didn't understand. "Deaton, the alpha? Your boss." He pointed towards Scott.

"No."

"Yes, murdering psycho werewolf!" Stiles hissed, leaning forward on the desk. I nervously ran my hands through my hair glancing fretfully at the open door. I was still expecting to see the alpha come running through.

"That can't be." Scott refused to believe that his boss, the happy man who worked at the animal clinic, was an alpha werewolf. Honestly, it was hard to believe. I had to admit, it didn't sound like the exact fit to an alpha werewolf but really, what was an exact fit? We were clueless at this point.

"Oh, come on." Stiles whined. "He disappears and that thing shows up ten seconds later to toss Derek 20 feet through the air? That's not convenient timing?"

"It's not him." Scott shook his head, staring down at the desk.

"He killed Derek." Stiles stated bluntly and I cringed, my heart slamming into my chest once more at just the thought of Derek being dead.

"No, Derek's not dead." Scott hissed out. "He—he—he can't be dead!" I groaned.

"Yes he is, Scott! I saw the claws sticking through his chest and look at my jacket?" I pulled out a small part of my jacket covered in blood. "He's dead, Scott, I'm sorry." I sighed the last part and Scott shook his head.

"Blood spurted out of his mouth, okay? That doesn't exactly qualify as a minor injury." Stiles backed me up and I nodded my head towards him as Scott shot a look at me. It seemed to me that I was the only one taking Derek's death emotionally. "He's dead and we're next."

"How about we just keep point out the obvious here, Stiles? Let's make this situation seem much more real than it already is." I said in a sarcastic tone, glaring at Stiles who shot back with the same glare.

"Okay, just…" Scott slapped his hands down on the desk and thought for a moment, "What do we do?"

Stiles panted and thought for a moment as well. "We get to my Jeep. We get out of here and you seriously consider quitting your job, good?" Stiles organized, glancing between Scott and I. I nodded in response and Scott did the same. Shortly after, Scott hurried over to the windows. He stuck his fingers underneath the seal and tried to lift up, becoming unsuccessful.

"It won't open, idiot." I grumbled, rolling my eyes and coming to stand beside him. "I threatened Lydia I'd jump out a window if she didn't let me have her tater tots and she gave me this lecture on how the windows are climate controlled."

"Really? You'd risk death for tater tots?" Stiles asked incredulously, genuinely surprised at the moment.

I shrugged casually. "You gotta do what you gotta do." Stiles made a very disturbed face. "Anything is worth those small balls of fried potato."

"Your devoted love to food is almost inspiring." Stiles muttered, blinking his eyes slowly and nodding.

"Guys, hey, focus." Scott snapped, waving his hands. "We—we have to do something open these. We could, uh, break it!"

"Which will make a lot of noise." Stiles pointed out, turning around to face his best friend as I did the same. Scott panted for a few moments, scanning across the vacant parking lot in search of something.

"Then we run really fast." Scott suggested but with a small ounce of confidence which made me groan and then slam my finger onto the window.

"Do not see how far away the Jeep is from here? We'd have to have your werewolf speed to get all the way over there." I said, looking at Scott. "We have to face the facts here, Scott. We're trapped inside the school."

"No! We—we are not trapped here." Scott argued, shaking his head stressfully. "We just run really, really fast."

"You are a true idiot. That thing will be clawing at our ankles the second we smash the window to pieces." I argued back, waving my arms around. I faced the windows and sighed deeply. "Look, we have to figure out a different plan that doesn't involve us sprinting across a parking lot currently being guarded by a slaughter machine."

"Oh, wow, pleasant choice of words." Stiles muttered nervously from behind me and I ignored him, trying to think about what else we could do. I let my gaze fall on the Jeep and when it did, I furrowed my brow, narrowing my eyes.

"Stiles," I murmured my voice slightly louder considering how close I was to the window. "Has your Jeep always looked that shitty?"

"Excuse me!?" Stiles squeaked, probably bouncing on his toes but I didn't turn around to look at him. "This is no time to be bitchy, Tessa."

"No, I'm serious. Get over here." I growled, swinging my arm out and lightly tapping him on the chest. "Something isn't right."

Both of the boys shuffled to stand beside me and when their eyes landed on the Jeep they both seemed to see the same thing I did. The hood of the Jeep was not flat and rounded like it usually was. Instead, it looked like someone had taken a crowbar and curled it upwards. I was sure some pieces of the hood were missing but nothing was shattered around it. I wasn't a complete idiot and I knew exactly what had happened here. I knew Derek hadn't gotten up and gotten into the hood of Stiles's Jeep. If anything, he would have tried to get us out of here. I knew who was inside the parking lot and who was doing everything to get us to stay inside the school. The alpha had done something to Stiles's Jeep and this meant awful, terrible, completely murderous news. I saw something fly out of the corner of my eye and as soon as my eyes landed on the small black box flying towards us, I gasped.

"Get down!" I ordered in a surprisingly firm voice. I felt an arm push down on my back and my knees hit the floor when the sound of smashing glass clattered through the air. I closed my eyes and lifted my arms up to cover over my head. As soon as I closed my eyes, images of the night at the video store flashed through my head and I pressed myself against the small bit of wall underneath the windows. I felt another body on top of me as glass rained down on our bodies. I bit down on my tongue to avoid letting out a terrified scream and shoved my fingers in my ears to block out the sound of the glass. It was ringing through the hallways and the room and even after it had stopped, nobody moved. I could hear my own heart in my chest, shouting in my ears. I felt the arm move off my back and I finally opened my eyes. I was met with the blank wall and slowly moved my hands away from my ears, panting.

I looked over my shoulder and studied the glass that had collected across the floor beneath us and all over the desks in front of us. Some of it was even on the teacher's desk and surrounded me like a fence. I looked over to see who'd helped push me down and was glad to see Scott sitting beside me. He was looking over at me too and swallowed, scanning my body for a moment. "Are you okay?" He asked softly, leaning for a few steps and wiping some of the glass off my back. I nodded and he turned to Stiles, asking his best friend the same question.

"What—what happened?" I breathed out, my voice sounding strangled coming from my throat. I was afraid to move from my crouched position, afraid I might stab my hand in some broken glass. Luckily, none had struck me or cut me. I was flawless on the outside but inside, I was going to slowly begin losing every ounce of sanity I had left.

"I—I don't know." Scott answered for me, shaking his head and then moving his body to get some of the glass off of his jacket. Stiles did the same and exchanged a look with me. He had the same look of concern in his golden orbs and I gave him a very, very weak smile which he returned with an only slightly stronger one. "It had to be the alpha."

"I mean, it wouldn't be Derek." I muttered emotionlessly, staring down at the floor and having a flashing image of Derek getting stabbed. I then looked down at my jacket and saw the large splotches of blood covering the teal and gray sweatshirt. I wondered what Andre would think—if I got back to Andre. I couldn't think like that. I had to have hope that we'd make it out of here alive. We would survive this and it terrified more than anything that if we didn't, I'd be leaving Andre by herself. I mentally slapped myself. I couldn't have that mind set. Everyone sitting with me right now would make it out of here alive. I remembered what Derek had said to me outside. He'd told me about his family and gone on to say that he knew what it felt like to want to protect his family from the dangers werewolves faced every day of their new lives. He knew how I was feeling at this point and I had to admit. It was nice to have someone who understood at least a little bit of knowledge on what I was going through. Other things…not so much. I wasn't sure if I'd ever get a single bit of shut eye in this decade but that wasn't what I needed to be focusing on.

I turned my attention towards what had just came flying through the window. I turned around on my knees carefully, avoiding any shards of glass. I glanced around the room once more before finding what the alpha had thrown at us. It was a small black box, white words written on the side and also surrounded in glass. There were a few wires sticking out of the top and I cocked my head to the side, trying to figure out what exactly it was. As soon as the thought hit my head, someone spoke it.

"That's my battery."

* * *

 **AN: DUN DUN DUN! What does this mean for the gang? What does this mean for the lives of our wonderful little teenagers? Who am I kidding- ya'll already know what happen buuut whatever! This chapter is shorter than usual but the last one is probably going to be very, very long so I apologize in advance. I did mention in the last chapter that this would start out with close to the very ending of Heart Monitior. It's very dramatic, I know, but this is a new side of Tessa we get to see now. She always has that big and bad barrier but there's some times where it completely crumbles and she becomes your typical teenage girl.**

 **As always, I love reviews! S/O to Alsynea for the review! I totally agree with you, Jackson deserves to be smacked. I also love that you could picture Tessa's diversion.**

 **Until next time...**


	16. Chapter 16

My eyes fell shut in defeat as the words left Stiles's lips. I let out an aggravated sigh and dropped my head. I slowly fell backwards onto my butt, sitting up against the wall beside Stiles. I was willing to give up at this point but then I thought—would I be Tessa Bradley if I gave up? Did I ever give up? It was at this time, when I looked down at Scott and Stiles, that I knew I couldn't give up on them. I needed them as much as they, hopefully, needed me. They were my friends and I had promised to help them.

"That's my _battery_." Stiles repeated but instead of the hopeless words he'd spoken earlier, he sounded more upset this time around. I guessed that it had finally sunk in that the alpha had ripped that out of the hood of his Jeep and knowing Stiles, he loved his Jeep probably more than any inanimate object in the entire world. I guessed that was why he began to climb to his feet to look out the window.

"Don't!" Scott hissed, grabbing the back of Stiles's jacket and jerking him back down to the floor. I watched them curiously, keeping quiet in our current situation.

"We have to move." Stiles told Scott, shooting a quick glance towards the battery lying in the middle of the floor in front of us.

"He could be right outside." Scott kept his voice low, leaning in closer to Stiles.

"He _is_ right outside." Stiles countered quickly in his usual sarcastic manner. They panted for a few seconds, shining the flashlight on the car battery.

"Just let me look outside." Scott said to Stiles desperately. He began to push himself up and I grabbed onto his elbow.

"Whoa, hey, what makes you any different than Stiles looking out there?" I asked quickly, my heart thudding in my chest. I knew what the difference was but I had asked him anyways. Scott turned his head down to look at me and then sighed. He jerked his arm out of my clasp and continued on his venture to look outside.

"Anything?" Stiles asked, keeping his head hidden from the window behind the wall as Scott once again scanned the parking lot. I was practically waiting for a tire from Stiles's Jeep to come smashing through the windows that weren't shattered.

"No." Scott answered and I sagged out of slight relief. I didn't completely let myself feel safe considering we were still in the line of fire and the alpha was still here.

"Move now?" Stiles asked like a small child, his voice coming out louder than Scott's had ever been. He flickered his eyes in my direction and I simply gave him a blank look—well at least I thought I did.

"Move now." Scott repeated in response and nodded his head. They stood up to their full height and I followed in pursuit. Some more glass fell off of us and I looked over my shoulder, taking in a quick view of the parking lot. I had to have visual clarification in my mind that the alpha wasn't around but that's what I had thought last time. I pursed my lips and then exhaled deeply, following the boys out of the classroom and into the dark hallways.

If it weren't for Stiles's flashlight, we'd practically be blind. Even though the moon was out tonight, it wasn't bright enough to light up our surroundings. Plus, the school was insanely creepy without any lights. It was dead silent and it seemed so eerie without any sign of life. I never found the school creepy before but now, I was seeing it in an entirely different perspective and I didn't like it at all.

"This way," Scott ordered and began to go down the hallway when Stiles slammed his hand on his shoulder.

"No, no, no!" the boy muttered, stopping his friend from leaving.

"What?" Scott questioned with a puzzled expression yet he stopped.

"Somewhere without windows." Stiles told him and even happened to look towards me as if he needed to fully get the point across. I wasn't arguing with him and honestly, he had a good point.

"Every single room in this building has windows." Scott hissed, frustrated, swinging his arms around to gesture to our school.

I thought for a moment. "Not every room." I said barely above a whisper but both boys heard me considering virtually nothing else could block out my voice. "Well, I mean, not all of the rooms have a full wall of windows."

"Care to tell us before we become a feast for a very hungry alpha?" Stiles grumbled exasperatedly and I shot him a small glare before continuing.

"I haven't been in there too many times but I'm almost positive the locker rooms have really tiny windows up towards the ceiling." I told them, shrugging my shoulders. "I can't really imagine a werewolf that big being able to crawl through them."

Stiles and Scott exchanged a look. "She's right." Scott said, nodding his head. "The alpha couldn't possibly get inside there unless he was inside the school."

"Okay," Stiles breathed out, nodding his head in agreement. "Let's go."

I began to lead the way, turning in the opposite direction Scott had tried to go. I should have felt more powerful leading the boys around the school but I felt so small and pathetic against the alpha. He had been able to take down Derek and an entire wall of windows. He'd been able to bend back the metal of Stiles's Jeep and rip his battery right out of the structure. Being the only person walking in front of everyone, I felt like I would be the first choice of attack. And honestly, I wouldn't want anyone else to be in this sort of position. I knew I wasn't entirely alone but for a split second, Stiles's flashlight faded away and the sound of their footsteps silenced, making me feel like I was the only person locked inside the school, fighting for my life.

I pushed through the door of the boy's locker room, ignoring the hideous smell that met my nose. I turned us into a place where we were in between the lockers and I stood beside Stiles, Scott standing across from us.

"Call your dad." Scott told Stiles, looking around as if the alpha were already inside here. I couldn't blame him. I was wondering if the alpha was hiding inside Coach Finstock's office but considering we weren't running, we were in the clear for now.

"And tell him what?" Stiles asked, giving Scott a pointed look.

"I don't know anything." Scott replied and I rolled my eyes. "There's a gas leak, a fire, whatever. If that thing sees the parking lot filled with cops, it'll take off."

"And what if it doesn't?" Stiles pointed out, shaking his head. "What if it goes completely terminator and kills every cop in sight—including my dad?"

Scott thought for a moment, looking away from his friend. "They have guns."

"Yeah, and Derek had to be shot with a wolfs bane laced bullet to even slow him down, you remember that?" Stiles pointed out, making Scott throw his head back.

"In case you haven't noticed we don't have wolfs bane laced bullets and I don't think the police department has them either." I interjected, shaking my head. "And I also don't think you really wanna call in the Argents."

"Then we…we have to…" Scott sighed. "We have to find a way out. Just run for it." Scott finished, not really sounding into the idea.

"There's nothing near the school for at least another mile." Stiles mentioned and I sighed, scrubbing my hands down my face.

"What about Derek's car?" Scott suddenly suggested his face lighting up.

"That could work." Stiles agreed, now on board with one of Scott's ideas. "We got outside, we get the keys off his body, ugh, and then we take his car."

"Do you guys not remember the fact that the alpha is out there? And besides, we don't know where the alpha threw Derek." I said, stepping in between the two boys.

"Then we take Derek too." Scott said and I snapped my head to look at him.

"What!?" I squeaked and my voice echoed off the metal lockers. "What exactly do you plan on doing with his dead body, Scott?"

"Tessa, he isn't dead." Scott argued, shaking his head. "He's alive and he'll heal."

"He's not gonna heal!" I growled, covering my eyes with my hands in frustration. "God, don't you understand? I am covered in his blood, Scott. I saw him die."

"Mr. Argent hit me with his car and shot me with an arrow and I survived. We heal, Tessa. Derek is stronger than me which means he can heal from deeper wounds." Scott said and I dug my nails into my forehead. "You have to trust me, please. We don't have a whole lot of time to argue about this."

"Fine." I hissed, glaring at him through my fingers. "But if we get caught with a dead body, you better take full blame or you'll be lying beside Derek in a grave."

"S—sure." Scott stammered nodding quickly. I dropped my hands down to my sides and spun on my heel, storming towards the door out of here. I reached out to pull the handle when a hand suddenly slammed down on my wrist.

"Scott, what the hell?" I protested, looking at him over my shoulder.

"I think I heard something." Scott whispered, looking down at the floor as he concentrated.

"Like what?" I murmured, keeping my voice low as my defense demeanor faded. It was a few seconds later that Scott looked up towards the window. He kept his hand on my wrist and began to walk backwards. "Scott what are we-"

"Shh!" Scott hissed desperately and then slapped Stiles's flashlight down, moving the beam away from the line of the door. "Hide." He whispered calmly and released me.

Stiles shoved inside the first locker he found, Scott protesting. Shortly after, he hopped into one of the lockers and I tried the one beside him. I found that it was locked and then tried the next locker. It was locked as well. It seemed that every locker in this row was locked and I could hear the door handle of the locker room door shaking. I tugged on one locker, hoping it would miraculously swing open but I was out of luck. I cursed, stomping my foot on the ground as the door of the locker room opened. My eyes widened and I dropped down to my knees. In a desperate attempt to hide, I moved under the wooden seats between the rows of lockers. I lied down on my stomach, putting my arms underneath my head and closing my eyes.

I heard the creaking of the door as it fully opened and held my breath, shaking violently on the floor. Footsteps echoed throughout the dark locker room and I prayed to God that this wouldn't be the time I would die. I couldn't die and I really didn't want to. I didn't want to see Scott or Stiles die but they were hidden pretty well. I was practically lying in the middle of the floor, all out in the open and taunting the alpha. I was literally on his chopping block and I'd be placed directly onto his dinner plate if he saw me. I was sure the alpha was the thing that had gotten in here because, who else would be here at this time of the night? There had not been any cars in the parking lot and chains had been wrapped around the doors. No one was here except us, the alpha, and Derek's dead body.

Suddenly, a hand grabbed the back of my hoodie, sliding me out from underneath the benches. I let out a terrified shout, flailing my body and swinging my arms. Both of the boys came tumbling out of the lockers and as soon as they did, a pair of arms wrapped around me, trying to calm my insane form.

"Tessa!" Stiles's voice reached my ears. "Tessa, hey, it's okay! You're okay."

It was like the sound waves going through my eardrums signaled my body to calm down and to stop fighting the arms. It was just Stiles. I was safe. I sighed, slumping again him and closing my eyes for a moment. I hadn't realized how hard my heart was beating in my chest and tried to slow it down.

"What the hell are you doing here?" the janitor growled, obviously not being sentimental for literally giving me a heart attack. "All of you get out."

"Just listen for a half a second, okay?" Stiles said, only moving one of his arms off of me but keeping me clutched to his side as I struggled to focus on the janitor.

"Not okay!" he shouted back and I flinched at his loud tone. Apparently Scott had been trying to get him to be quiet considering there was an alpha werewolf outside and we were trying to hide from it. "Get the hell out of here right now!" He began to shove Scott's shoulder, taking Stiles along with him. I stumbled out of Stiles's arm and ended up in the back of the line the janitor had put us in.

"Listen, jackass," I growled once he'd particularly shoved me out the door. I spun around to look at him. "Shut the hell up and let us talk!"

"I don't wanna hear anything you have to say. Get out of my school." He snapped, glaring down at me as I glared back at him.

He bent down closer to my face when suddenly, he was jerked backwards. There was a loud snarl and a shout as his body fly away from me. I let out a surprised scream, instantly being pulled away by Stiles. Scott even was holding on to me as the door slammed in our faces. My eyes widened with terror as the screams muffled. Suddenly, his body slammed against the window, a very loud cry reaching our ears. Blood splattered around the blurry window and I gasped, jumping backwards farther with the boys. The janitor continuously slammed against the window and Scott let go of me, rushing forward to try and open the door to get inside the locker rooms.

"No!" I ordered over the screams, Stiles rushing forward and grabbing his friend's shoulders. We began to sprint away from the locker rooms, going where ever the hallways would take us. I heard the door snap off the hinges and fall to the ground but I didn't dare looking back. I forced myself to keep up with the boys and go faster. The alpha had gotten inside the school and had now, without a doubt, killed our school janitor. That was another body that had dropped tonight and I was starting to freak out. The alpha was out to kill and maybe Stiles was right. We were next.

We continued down different hallways until we were met with a pair of double doors. I ran ahead of the boys and was ready to open them but slammed directly into them instead. They didn't open and I stumbled backwards, bumping into Scott. "What the hell?" Scott whispered, frowning and noticing how they had not opened. He scuffled forward and shoved his head through a small opening. "It's a dumpster."

"It's a what?" I wheezed, slightly out of breath from running so fast. I pushed him to the side and stuck my head out. It seems that the alpha had his plans all laid out, we were fitting directly into it. He had probably pushed the dumpster in front of all exits and now, we were locked inside with him. That was even worse than him surrounding the school. It seemed that we had no virtual way out.

Stiles redundantly slammed into the door, telling us to help him but Scott pulled him away. I ran my hands through my hair, steadying a fast pace as we began to go down back down the hallway. I turned my head to the left and looked out the giant set of windows. The moon was shining through the glass and lighting up our path only slightly. I got a sick feeling just looking outside and returned my attention back to the boys.

"I'm not dying here." Stiles stated firmly. "I'm not dying at school."

"We're not gonna die!" Scott snapped back to his best friend,

"God, what is he doing?" Stiles whined, throwing his hands up. I could easily tell that he was slightly shaken up by what we'd just witnessed and now we were fully aware of the fact that we were now trapped inside the school. "What does he want?"

"Me!" Scott answered and I cringed, shaking my head at the floor. As much as it sucked, it was true. The alpha was creating a pack and Scott was a part of it. "Derek says it's stronger with a pack."

"The alpha bit Scott because he—he's trying to make himself stronger. If Scott isn't technically running with him, he isn't as strong as he probably wants to be." I explained, walking up beside Stiles.

"Yeah, great." Stiles grumbled. "A psychotic werewolf that's who's into team work. That's—that's beautiful."

"Stiles, if I can't be sarcastic right now than neither can you." I glared at him and he glared towards me. Suddenly a hand flew across his chest to stop him and we came to an abrupt stop as Stiles stopped me. His hand was holding onto the back of my bicep and before I could protest, I saw that the boy's eyes were locked onto something through the windows. Slowly, I turned my head and then my eyes widened. I knew exactly what they were looking at. The alpha was sitting on the rooftop of the building dozens of yards away, his eyes glowing in the darkness, and his fangs bared. He practically cocked his head in our direction and I sucked in a deep breath, holding my mouth open. As soon as it recognized that we were watching it, it began to sprint around the rooftop.

"Run! Go!" I ordered, unintentionally grabbing the handle Stiles had been holding onto me with. He didn't seem to protest as I clutched onto his hand tightly and then began to sprint beside Scott. As soon as we broke into our run, the sound of smashing glass filled the air again. I forced myself to keep my eyes open in efforts to not get the vision I dreaded every time I closed my eyes. I knew what the alpha had done. He had jumped right through those windows and no doubt, he close behind us. I could hear the sound of his large paws slamming against the tile floors of the school and his loud pants coming from his snout.

I followed Scott as he took a sharp turn. He shoved through a pair of doors and I followed him, Stiles helping me keep the door open to get through. We were met with a pair of stairs and we made no hesitation to hurry down them. We went down two flights of stairs and then entered another room through a similar set of doors. We seemed to have gotten all the way down to the basement of the school. There were rusty sets of lockers, a molding smell coming from somewhere, and light bulbs hanging from the ceiling. It honestly didn't matter at this point and I had seemed to fallen behind Stiles. He tugged me around a corner and we were then hidden by a pair of old lockers. Our backs were pressed up against the frigid metal and the only heat I could receive was from the two bodies of the boys standing out either side of me. Scott slowly turned his head to me and I raised my eyebrows, silently asking him what the deal was.

"Go." He mouthed but there was small breath that informed me he was in fact talking. I didn't wait and squeezed Stiles's hand, tugging him along the length of the lockers. We turned down a smaller hallway but were met with the end of the hall.

"Alright, we have to do something." Stiles said to Scott, turning to his best friend and bringing me along with him.

"Like what?" Scott asked breathlessly. We had started to back up as low growls echoed throughout the basement.

"I don't know. Kill it, hurt it, inflict mental anguish on it—something." Stiles explained, using his free hand to gesture towards his head.

"Stiles it's a murderous werewolf not a five year-old child." I whispered in almost a whine, making a face and shaking my head. Glass shattered and we suddenly slammed into something. We all jumped but then realized it was a door, sighing in relief. "Look, the only thing we actually need to be worrying about right now is—is getting out of the basement. There's less places to run and hide down here. Besides, there's no way to the outside from this level of the school."

The boys exchanged a look, obviously thinking over my words. Then they looked inside the room beside us. It seemed to be just a simple supply room, possibly a janitor's office, but it suddenly seemed so much more than that. It wasn't hard to know that this would fit into a stupid plan. "Okay." I breathed out, nodding my head. "This…this could work." I muttered, looking over at Stiles.

"You know, in any other situation, I would make a sarcastic comment about you actually agreeing to one of our plans," Stiles said, shrugging his shoulder and sounding oddly calm. "But right now, we're standing in the eyes of death and your cooperation is much appreciated."

"Okay, shut up." I hissed, glaring at him. "Scott, what exactly are you planning?"

"I—I, uh, have no idea." Scott's voice faded at the end of his answer and I flinched, slapping a clenched fist to my forehead. "Sorry."

"Wow, uh, I thought this was _your_ plan. Why don't you have one?" I snapped and Stiles rolled his eyes in annoyance. "We have to get the alpha inside this room without it eating us first. Considering it's basically on the other side of this basement, we need a way to lure it over here."

"I got it." Stiles perked up, bouncing on his toes. I waited for a second and watched him reach into the pocket of his jacket. There was a small noise and he then lifted his Jeep keys out of his pocket. They were completely useless to us now seeing as the alpha ripped the battery out of his Jeep.

"Throw them in the room." I whispered, making sure to keep my voice low. He nodded curtly and after a few short seconds, tossed them inside the closet. They hit the floor with a loud crash and it instantly alerted the alpha. Apparently, he hadn't been as far away as we thought and he growled loudly. It came sprinting down the hallway and I suddenly had an arm over my chest. I stumbled backwards, clutching onto the arm and squeezing my eyes shut in a fleet of terror. Luckily, the boys had kept their eyes open. Stiles took his arm off of me and ran forward to shove the door closed. He pressed his back up against it and looked towards Scott.

"The desk!" He ordered. "Come on! The desk!"

I hurried forward to help Scott push it, pulling it from the corner and ending up beside Stiles. The alpha was snarling and hissing from the other side of the door. Although this may have seemed like a fantastic plan in our heads, I had a sick feeling in my stomach—like something was go to go terribly wrong. For one second we took our hands off the desk and the alpha growled louder than he had before. He pushed against the door and the desk squealed but didn't move from its place. I looked down at it with a slight look of awe.

"Holy freaking crap," I breathed out, placing my hand on the top of the cold metal desk. I looked towards Scott.

"He can't…" Scott could barely get the words out of his mouth. He let one of his precious little smiles grace his lips and it brought me to a smile.

I let out a feeble laugh, running my hand over the top of my head. I heard Stiles laugh beside me and I grinned at him. In a moment of our happiness, we ran towards each other. I threw my arms around his neck and sighed out of relief. We'd trapped the alpha. We were going to get out of here. Stiles wrapped his arms around my shoulders and we embraced for a little bit longer than normal. Scott cleared his throat awkwardly and we pulled away, also clearing our throats. Suddenly, the door moved again as the alpha slammed its body up against it.

"Whoa!" Stiles gasped, flinging himself back up against the wall as the desk stuttered but still didn't get out of the way of the door. "Come on, get across." Stiles said to Scott, jerking his head in our direction. When Scott didn't move, Stiles ordered him again. I knew why Scott wasn't moving.

"What?" Scott breathed out slightly in disbelief, our relived mood quickly dispersing in our new problem. Then, he hopped over the desk quickly, moving away from the door once he'd gotten across. We were standing quietly for only a few seconds when Stiles started to lean in closer to the door. "What are you doing?" Scott ordered, slapping his best friend in the shoulder and making Stiles whip around.

"I just wanna get a look at it." Stiles told Scott calmly and I sighed in annoyance, scrubbing a hand down my face.

"Stiles, we don't have time for this. We need to get out of here." I said, jutting a hand out towards him.

"Yeah, are you crazy?" Scott was still keeping his voice in a low whisper.

"Look, it's trapped, okay?" Stiles said, jerking his head towards the door. "It's not gonna get out." Stiles glanced to me when saying this but I gave him a disapproving look. It didn't seem to matter as he climbed up onto the table, turning his body so his face was almost pressed against the small window that let you see into the closet. I stepped closer to the table in effort to pull him away if the alpha did anything. "Yeah, that's right, we got you." Stiles taunted and my eyes widened.

"What do you think you're doing?" I hissed, curling my hand into a fist on top of the table.

"I'm not scared of this thing." Stiles said confidently, looking at me over his shoulder. Suddenly, a large claw slammed down on top of the small window. I screamed and grabbed the back of Stiles's jacket, jerking him backwards into my chest but he was already scrambling back. Once we were steady, I didn't release my grasp from his jacket. "I'm not scared of you!" He called and I growled out of frustration. "Right' cause you're in there and we're out here." He continued and I shut my eyes, letting my forehead rest against his back.

"Stiles, please stop." I begged from behind him and I felt him twitch underneath me. "Please, you're gonna get us killed."

"Tessa, listen he's not going any—"

Stiles's voice was cut off by a loud crash. I snapped my head up, looking over Stiles's shoulder and I stared at the door. We all went dead silent, all hearing the noise, and I tightened my grip on Stiles's jacket. "Oh shit." I whispered and then heard creaking above me. I slowly lifted up my head and looked up towards the ceiling. I watched as the tile bent down and I knew exactly what had happened. "Okay, I'm just gonna state the obvious solution to this." I muttered, sliding my hand down to rest it on Stiles's. "Run."

Scott didn't hesitate and I followed behind him, tugging Stiles along with me. He tripped over his feet a few times but eventually gained footing. We took off from where we had come from and went through various hallways and old lockers. We were more willed to run this time considering this thing was now walking around the roof. It could go anywhere without us even knowing—giving us less knowledge than before. I could feel my heart beginning to slam into my chest and any thoughts of freedom were demolished all thanks to Stiles.

We were crammed into a small hallway only lit by Stiles's flashlight. There was steam flowing from some pipes clouding up our vision. "Wait," Scott breathed out, stopping us from going any further.

"Hey, Scott, what's going on?" I breathed out, furrowing my brow and tightening my grip with Stiles. He squeezed my hand, as if silently calming me, and I squeezed back. I licked my lips and watched as Scott listened for something.

"Do you hear that?" He asked softly and I shook my head.

"Hear what?" Stiles countered as Scott tugged him closer.

"It sounds like a phone ringing." Scott answered and I frowned.

"Is it maybe the, uh, janitors phone?" I asked, goosebumps rolling down my spine just at the thought of the dead body.

"No, no, it sounds like…" He paused and then looked towards me with a grim expression. My frown fell into a blank look as I waited for him to continue. "It sounds like Allison's phone."

I felt like someone had kicked the air out of my chest. I actually had to keep from coughing and both of my hands balled into fists, accidently squishing Stiles's hand in my palms. He didn't seem to be phased but didn't look as worried as I felt. I wasn't just worried—I was terrified. Allison was here, inside the school, with an insane alpha trying to kill people. He would kill her without a chance. He had no reason to keep her alive.

"No, no, no," I breathed out, grabbing a fistful of my hair and looking away from the boys. "No, she can't be here! Are you sure?" I asked, giving him a desperate look.

"I'd remember it from anywhere." He replied softly and I sagged my shoulders, letting out a defeated breath. "Stiles, give me your phone."

"What?" Stiles said quietly, looking towards us.

"Give me your phone." Scott repeated, holding out his hand.

Stiles paused for a second and Scott raised his eyebrows expectantly. "Oh!" Stiles gasped and his eyes widened. He fumbled around for a second, putting the flashlight underneath his arm. He then reached down into his front pocket and pulled out his phone, handing it to Scott.

"Are you gonna call Allison?" I asked, taking a step closer to the werewolf. He nodded and then dialed Allison's number, clicking the speaker button in case I wanted to walk to her. I sent a silent thanks to the boy and then waited.

" _Stiles?"_ Allison suddenly answered with a confused tone probably wondering why he out of all the people in the world was calling her.

"I—it's me." Scott quickly replied. "Where are you?"

" _I'm in the school looking for you. Why weren't you at my place?"_

"Where are you right now?" Scott demanded eager to figure out where his girlfriend was.

" _On the first floor."_ She was beginning to get suspicious but I didn't even care. I wanted her out of the school now.

Scott sighed in frustration, shutting his eyes. "Where? Where are you exactly?"

" _The swimming pools."_ Allison's voice was going higher in pitch and I knew she thought that it was odd that Scott was urgently asking her where she was.

"Get to the lobby." Scott ordered her, nodding at us for clarification. Stiles and I nodded right back him and shot each other nervous glances. "Go now!"  
 _"Okay, okay, I'm coming."_ Allison told us and then the line went dead. Scott stared down at the phone screen for a second and then looked at us.

"Let's go get her." I breathed out and then shoved passed them. I jogged throughout the length of the hallway and we were met with the flight of stairs again. We hurried up them and then followed the other hallways all the way towards the lobby.

As soon as we pushed through the doors leading into the lobby, Allison was coming towards us. "Why did you come?" Scott demanded, ignoring the confused looks she shot towards Stiles and, most importantly, me. "Why—what are you doing here?"

"Because you asked me to." She answered softly, a look similar to a kicked puppy forming on her face. There was a sound of doors clicking shut and Scott quickly looked over his shoulder but disregarded it.

"I asked you to?" He repeated, obviously puzzled by Allison's answer hence the reason why she lifted up her phone and showed him a text that deliberately said for her to meet him at the school. I drew out a long breath and took a step back closer to Stiles. We once again shot each other worried glances when we knew this wasn't good.

"Why do I get the feeling you didn't send this message?" Allison asked cautiously, avoiding eye contact with her boyfriend for a second before looking up at him through her lashes.

"Because he didn't," I breathed out from behind Scott. Allison looked over her shoulder at me and I kept the grim look on his face.

"Did you drive here?" Stiles asked loudly. For a moment, I thought he also might really be concerned about Allison being here but it occurred to me that, if in fact she did drive here, she could possibly be our way out.

"Jackson did." Allison answered and I groaned, clapping my hands to my face.

"Jackson's here too?"

"And Lydia. What's going on?" She desperately asked the three of us but we didn't have a chance to answer as her phone began to ring. I pressed my palm to my forehead, turning on my heel and facing the wall of trophies inside a glass case. This was getting worse by the second. Now, both of my best friends were standing in a line of fire, or more rather under, and the alpha was out to kill anyone. Allison had answered her phone and as soon as she did, the doors behind us opened quickly. I turned my head and looked over to see the two people in question walking towards us.

"Ugh, finally," Lydia muttered as she approached us. "Can we go now?"

"Yes, yes, we can defienently go!" I gasped from behind them, anxious to get out of the school. I placed my hands on my best friend's shoulders and began to shove them towards the doors. I barely made it two steps before a loud thud sounded from above us. "No, no, no," I murmured, shaking my head. The alpha was already here. "Go, run! Run!" I shrieked and Allison grabbed onto Scott's hand. Lydia clutched onto Jackson and I slipped my hand back in Stiles's. As soon as we all decided to move our feet, plaster from the ceiling gave way with a ginormous crash. I heard a few screams admit from the two girls but I ignored them, continuing to run. They were almost overlapped by the sound of the alpha snarling, growling, and practically shouting angrily.

We continued sprinting down the hallway, everyone silent but panting heavily. The alpha was close on our tails and he was very angry. Stiles was the one I would point at for the cause of the alpha's anger but we had no time for that. We made it to the end of the hallway and shoved through a pair of double doors. Stiles and I stumbled into the lunchroom, the first people to get inside. We hung onto each other for dear freaking life as Scott and Jackson locked the deadbolts on the door to avoid the alpha getting inside. I looked around the room, my eyes still slightly blurry from the wave of adrenaline that had hit me. Reality had settled in yet but when it did, I wouldn't be ready for it.

At the same time, Stiles and inclined our heads to the left. You would almost think that the blinds matched the colors of the walls in the darkness but I could see the small strips of light coming from in between the plastic curtains. I swallowed and then let my eyes scan the entire wall filled with hundreds of small windows. I gripped Stiles's hand tightly. "Stiles, we can't stay here." I whispered, shaking my head and looking back towards him. I then looked over my shoulder. "Scott, don't block the door." I tried to protest but they were too enveloped in their mission to even hear my small voice.

"What was that?" Allison cried out. "Scott, what was that?"

"What just came through the ceiling?" Lydia sounded like she was on the brink of tears and as much as I wanted to console her; we had some important things to deal with.

Scott called out more orders to pile things in front of the doors. "Guys, can you just wait a second?" Stiles called out now, obviously trying to help me.

"GUYS!" I screeched after Stiles's countless protests to get them to stop. At the sound of my voice, they all stopped and spun around. It was at this time that I looked at all of their faces. Allison looked the most terrified out of all of us. Her eyes were glossed over and I wasn't sure if she'd released Scott once since the alpha came falling through the ceiling. Scott was trying to stay calm. Jackson looked also somewhat…calm and Lydia…she looked like she was off on another planet. Stiles and I were trying to keep our emotions steady but they were slowly slipping and things were about to get a lot worse.

* * *

 **AN: And that's a wrap of our second part of Night School! Just because this is such a detailed episode, this is going to be a span of three chapters! I wasn't planning on doing that before but I needed to get this chapter out soon since I hadn't posted it a very long time. I didn't get any reviews on the last chapter so my motivation was a little weary. Anywaysss...I hope ya'll enjoyed the chapter!**

 **Please leave reviews, I love them so much!**


	17. Chapter 17

**I'm so sorry I've been gone for so long! I missed you and Tessa sooooo much!**

* * *

"Okay, nice work." Stiles told the four terrified teenagers sarcastically. "Really beautiful job everyone. Now, what should we do about the 20 foot wall of windows?"

To be more dramatic, Stiles spun around, throwing his arms out to gesture towards the windows the group had taken without any consideration. I looked back at my friends and wasn't surprised to see them all look somewhat defeated. I had just experienced a lot of bad things with large sets of windows and this was just going to add onto my list.

"Somebody please explain to me what's going on because I'm freaking out here." Allison quickly switched the subject and I bit down on the inside of my cheek as she desperately looked to Scott for answer. I had the strange desire to snap at her. We were standing in a room filled with easy ways for the alpha to get to us yet she was still trying to make this about her. Everyone else was freaking out yet they weren't trying to focus on themselves. I could have so much more to say than her. "And I'd like to know why. Scott?"

She practically trembled out her boyfriend's name as he slid passed her with a quick sorry as he made his way over to one of the lunchroom tables next to Stiles and I who were still concerned about the windows. Yes, I still wasn't slightly concerned about my friends but I needed to find a safe place for us to stay. It seemed easier when there were just three of us—not six. It seemed to be taking the same toll on Scott who had his back turned to the three clueless people. He pinched the bridge of his nose, squeezing his eyes shut and suddenly making me feel much pity for him. He looked at Stiles and I for a silent cry for help but I didn't know what to do. I was helpless. Stiles, on the other hand…was not so much helpless.

"Somebody killed the janitor." He spoke aloud, his voice slightly chocked up as he slowly walked towards Allison, Jackson, and Lydia.

"What?" Lydia and Allison both asked in unison, their expression turning horrified as soon as the words left Stiles's lips.

"Yeah, the janitors dead." Stiles repeated except with not as much care this time making me cringe as I kept my place by the windows.

"What's he talking about? Is this a joke?" Allison asked with a false grin, shaking her head like this was joke and that infuriated me. How could Allison think Stiles was lying about this? Why would we lie about a janitor being dead?

"Who killed him?" Jackson asked once again making me cringe. That was the question I was hoping we could have avoided but it was inevitable. Stiles looked over his shoulder at me, pressing his lips tightly together. He was out of moves.

"This—this was supposed to be over." Lydia muttered her voice cracking as she nodded her head and stared blankly down at the floor. I swallowed thickly and tried not to slap myself in the face. I wanted to tell her so badly. I wanted to tell her that it was a werewolf that had attacked us, not a mountain lion. She didn't deserve this—none of them did even if Jackson made me want to stab myself. "The mountain lion killed…"

"Don't you get it?" Jackson snapped, jerking his head to look at his girlfriend. I narrowed my eyes and took a defensive step forward. "There is no mountain lion." Jackson's eyes slowly drifted to me with fury and determination. I looked away from him, dropping my gaze down to the floor.

"Who was it?" Allison cried out, looking between everyone, including me. "What does he want? What's happening?" Allison continued to breathe out, making me close my eyes and try not to let the feeling of guilt eat me alive. "Scott!"

"I—I—I don't know." Scott quickly replied back defenselessly, not turning to face everyone. "I…I just know that if we go out there he's gonna kill us."

"He's gonna kill us?" Lydia asked in disbelief.

"Who?" Allison asked for everyone for the third time this evening.

"Yeah, Scott, who?" I then murmured out from my spot, the first words being spoken from my lips during this time.

"Who is it?" Allison asked more pointedly now looking at Stiles. There was a long, long silence until Scott finally answered.

"It's Derek."

"No, Scott." I gasped, shuffling forward but Stiles quickly got in front of me to keep from going at his friend. I looked at Stiles with defeated eyes and shook my head.

"It's Derek Hale." Scott repeated, finally turning around to look at everyone as if now he didn't feel the guilt of lying to them when really…he was.

"Derek killed the janitor?" Jackson asked, scrunching up his face in confusion.

"Are you sure?" Allison followed.

"I saw him." Scott answered to Allison.

"All of them?" Allison asked which meant she was referring to everyone in the town that had died recently. I wanted to shout out that Derek was dead and he didn't kill anyone anywhere because I knew he didn't. Scott was just using him as a pawn.

"Yes. Starting with his own sister." Scott snapped, turning back around and my eyes widened in disbelief. I jerked my head towards Stiles who clenched his jaw when he realized he hadn't told me about that part when he told me about werewolves. The girl in the woods wasn't a random jogger…it was Derek's sister.

"And the bus driver…?"

"And the guy in the video store!" Scott's voice was gradually rising and I was simply slumped in my stance at the thought of Derek being framed for his own sister's death. What did Scott just do to Derek? "It's been Derek the whole time. He's in here with us. And if we don't get out now, he's going to kill us to."

"I am going to kill Scott." I lowly murmured to Stiles who simply bobbed his eyebrows in probably silent agreement.

"Call the cops." Jackson suddenly said, gesturing to Stiles who flicked his head away from me to look at Jackson.

"No." Stiles answered easily. We'd already gone over the worst case scenarios and we didn't want Stiles's dad getting killed tonight.

"Wh—what do you mean 'no'?" Jackson asked, shaking his head and giving Stiles an incredulous look.

"I mean no. You wanna hear it in Spanish? _No_." Stiles shot back and I clapped a hand over my mouth to hide the small snort I'd given to Stiles.

"You think this is funny, Bradley?" Jackson growled, looking passed Stiles to me. My expression quickly became serious as I narrowed my eyes at Jackson. "You wanna keep laughing and I'll show you what's funny." Jackson took a few steps forward but Stiles stepped in front of me with his hands up.

"Let's not do that." Stiles muttered, trying to sound somewhat protective. I sucked in a deep breath and glared at the lacrosse captain. "Look, Derek killed three people, okay? We don't know what he's armed with."

"Your dad is armed with an entire sheriff's department. Call him." Jackson tried to point out but Scott, Stiles, and I all knew that it wouldn't be enough. I tried to ignore the fact that Stiles was easily going along with the terrible lie Scott just told.

"I'm calling." Lydia decided, walking away from Jackson.

"No Lydia, would you just—" Stiles tried to reach for the strawberry blonde but Jackson stopped him abruptly, shoving Stiles and expertly making him stumble into me.

"Hey!" Scott interjected, coming forward and resting a calming hand on Stiles's shoulder while nodding his head at me in a silent assurance that I was okay.

"Yes, we're at Beacon Hills High School." Lydia's voice sounded throughout the lunchroom and it only brought a sick feeling to my stomach. "We're trapped and we need you to—" Lydia paused and I furrowed my brow. "But…" Lydia then ripped the phone away from her ear and looked down at it with an unreadable expression.

"Lydia…what's going on?" I asked nervously from my stance beside Stiles.

"She hung up on me." Lydia answered and I acted as if that were a bad thing. In a sense, it was. If the police department hung up on Lydia, something was defienently wrong. But, that meant the police weren't coming to get us.

"The police hung up on you?" Allison's tone was disbelieving and I didn't blame her. I was also slightly confused as to why it happened to.

"She said they got a tip warning them that there were gonna be prank calls about a break-in to the high school. She said if I called again they're going trace it and have me arrested." Lydia explained rapidly.

"Okay, then call again." Allison insisted.

"No, they won't trace a cell." Stiles shook his head down at the floor. "Then they'll send a car to your house before they send anyone here."

"What—the—what is this?" Allison shoved her face in her hands and I licked my lips, once again looking away from the group with guilt. "Why does Derek wanna kill us? Why is he killing anyone?"

"Allison, if we knew, we'd probably already said something by now." I gritted through my teeth, frustrated and stressed. I sighed and then ran my hands through my hair when she gave me a quick glare. Finally, everyone turned their looks towards Scott.

"Why is everyone looking at me?" He protested innocently after he'd noticed all the eyes on him.

"Is he the one that sent her that text?" Lydia asked, referring to the text message Allison had gotten on her cellphone to meet Scott here at the school.

"No. I mean, I don't know." Scott quickly answered, realizing his mistake.

"Is he the one that called the police?" It was Allison asking now and even all of these questions were making my own head pound.

"I don't know!" Scott shouted back at Allison who instantly looked hurt. I swallowed thickly and sucked my bottom lip behind my teeth.

"Alright, why don't we just ease back off the throttle here, yeah?" Stiles murmured as he wandered over to his heated best friend. Stiles motioned for me to follow him and wrapped his arm around Scott's shoulders, dragging him away from the group. "Okay, first off, throwing Derek under the bus, nicely done."

"I—I didn't know what to say." Scott defended, making sure to keep his voice low while I rolled my eyes.

"Anything but that Scott. It's not like the police are already keeping a watchful eye on him. And in case you can't remember, we've already gotten him in trouble once." I explained shooting him a pointedly look. "Derek is going to hate us."

"I had to say something." Scott defended once more and I huffed out a sigh, crossing my arms over my chest and looking away from him. "And if he's dead then it doesn't matter, right? Except if he's not."

"How could you say that?" I gawked, my face morphing into disbelief. "We're talking about a dead person here. Believe it or not, Derek was helping us and you don't even care that he died?"

"I do care that he died, Tessa! Trust me." Scott breathed out, trying to give me a look that tried to make me trust him but I just simply shook my head. He pressed his lips tightly together and then looked passed me towards Allison. "God, I just totally bit her head off."

"And she'll totally get over it." Stiles interjected, glancing over his shoulder at the girl. "Bigger issues at hand here, like how do we get out alive?"

"But we are alive. It could've killed us already. It's like it's cornering us or something." Scott pointed out making me frown slightly.

"So what, he wants to eat us all at the same time?" Stiles asked, holding out his hand and becoming deeply insensitive around the topic.

"No!" Scott still managed to keep his voice low but still yelled at Stiles. "Derek said it wants revenge."

"Against who?" Stiles asked, glancing at me but I shrugged my shoulders.

"Allison's family?" Scott guessed shrugging his own shoulders.

"Maybe that's what the text was about." I intervened sadly, shaking my head and taking a few steps closer into our small group. Scott gave me a puzzled look. "Someone had to send it."

"O—okay, assheads!" Jackson suddenly shouted from behind us and I turned to become almost face to face with him. "New plan. Stiles calls his useless Dad and tells him to send someone with a gun and a decent aim. Are we good with that?"

"Jackson, do you remember the last time you tried to pick a fight with Mr. Stilinski—because I do. I remember me shoving you backwards and you whining like a little bitch." I spat, becoming oddly aggravated with the jackass tonight. Jackson snarled at me but didn't make a move to come any closer. "So the next time you decide to say something back about Stiles's dad, I'll make sure you're on the ground."

"Hey, Tess, relax." Stiles whispered from behind me, wrapping his hand around my bicep and tugging me backwards away from Jackson.

"He's right, Stiles." Scott then said, referring back to Jackson's idea to have Stiles call his Dad. "Tell him the truth if you have to just—just call him."

"Scott do you not understand the risk you put Mr. Stilinski under?" I whispered incredulously. "He could die, do you understand that?"

"I'm not watching my Dad get eaten alive." Stiles backed me up and I defensively squared my shoulders up with Scott. Stiles shook his head and then turned to walk away from the group.

"Alright give me the phone!" Jackson ordered and made a move to go towards Stiles and grab him but I was one step ahead of the dick. I grabbed Jackson's arm, jerked him backwards and before he could stop me, I slammed my fist directly into the side of his face. He was sent reeling backwards while I gasped at the pain that had rippled throughout my entire hand.

"Jackson!" Allison whimpered as Jackson stumbled across a few tables while holding his face. Stiles had whipped around at the sound of me punching Jackson in the face and Allison calling out his name. Scott had scrambled forward and was already pulling me away from the boy now down on the floor while Stiles gawked at this situation. Allison was already at the boy's aide and I swallowed, breathing heavily and looking between the two boys. I didn't dare look at Lydia in fear she might have the look I had been trying to avoid ever since Nevada.

"Scott, I'm sorry." I breathed out, shaking my head and not making eye contact with him either. "I'm so sorry."

"Tessa, did you just punch him?" Stiles asked incredulously, pointing towards Jackson over his shoulder. I simply gave him a guilty look in response and he stared at me with his mouth wide open and his eyes wide. Finally, I turned my head to look towards Lydia whose eyes were also wide except she looked almost emotionless. I inhaled deeply and then turned my back to her.

When I turned to face Stiles, I saw him reaching inside his pocket. He pulled out his hand and I caught the sight of a cellphone. "Stiles, what are you doing?" I asked breathlessly, still caught in an adrenaline rush from hitting Jackson. He ignored me and then pushed a few buttons before putting the cellphone to his ear. I sighed in defeat and fell almost limp in Scott's arms.

"Dad, hey it's me." Stiles said and I whipped my head around to glare at the back of Jackson's head. I suddenly wished I had done more than just punched his face. "And it's your voicemail. Look, I need you to call me back now. Like right now."

I jumped a foot in the air as the lunchroom doors shook aggressively with a loud bang. It wasn't just the alpha trying to get inside, it was the warning that our time was up. The alpha was done waiting for us to make our move and was getting impatient. Everyone moved to get away from the door, Scott passing me off to Stiles who used his free hand to clutch onto mine as everyone else gathered up with each other. Scott was with Allison and Lydia was back with Jackson.

"We're at the school, okay?" Stiles continued as we backed up. "Dad, we're at the school." Screws were beginning to fall out of the door as the alpha continued to get inside. Lydia was crying out and shoving her face into her boyfriend's shoulder while I simply stared at the door with terror.

"Stiles, we need to go!" I called out over the loud sound of metal creaking.

"The kitchen—the door out of the kitchen leads to the stairwell." Stiles told the group calmly but gripped my hand tightly.

"Which only goes up." Scott pointed out in fear.

"Up is better than here, McCall!" I shot back over my shoulder. As soon as the words left my mouth, the door had reached its last straw. All of the screws fell out and the chairs began to fall from their stacked position. "Let's go!" I screeched and turned to jerk Stiles off in the direction of the kitchen. As soon as we got a steady pace, the milk machine, tables, and chairs all flew away from the door, knocking into everything in its path. The alpha had officially gotten inside the lunchroom and we were running for our lives once again with nothing but panic in our minds.

We sprinted through the kitchen, inevitably knocking pots and pans over as we fumbled through the dark room. We finally found the doors that led to a stairwell and I shoved open the set of double doors. We rushed up those staircases not wasting a single moment burst into the upstairs hallway.

"Check every door!" I ordered, releasing Stiles's hand and rushing around to find an open door. The janitor had already done his rounds upstairs and had obviously locked primarily all of them. But, with some sliver of luck, Lydia managed to find a door to one of the chemistry rooms that wasn't locked. We all hurried inside but stayed silent as Scott shut the door. He shoved a stool underneath the door handle as I regrouped with Stiles.

We all panted in the silence, knowing that the alpha had probably followed us. If he found us now, there was no way we were going to run from him this time. We would die if he found us and I wasn't ready to die yet along with every other person inside this room. We were all watching the door with hope—hoping that he wouldn't see us. It was dead silent until there were distant growls to be heard within the distance. Lydia clapped a hand over her mouth, Stiles slammed his hand on Scott's shoulder, and I squeezed my eyes shut, holding my breath and trying not to panic. It was when I peeked through the slits in my eyes that I saw a large shadows pass by the window of the room. It kept walking with ease and everyone relaxed, releasing their breaths.

"Jackson, how many people can fit in your car?" Scott asked the boy from across the pathway of the door.

"Five, if someone squeezes on someone's lap. Which wouldn't seem like a big deal?" Jackson bit out, smirking at me and then looking at Stiles. My eyes widened in complete and utter embarrassment.

"Five?" Allison suddenly gasped from her spot. "I barely fit in the back."

"It doesn't matter." Stiles said, shaking his head solemnly. "There's no way of getting out without drawing attention."

"What about this?" Scott asked and then pointed towards a door beside the chalkboard in the room. He hurried over to it and the rest of us followed. "This door leads to the roof. We can go down the fire escape to the parking lot in, like, seconds."

I scanned the door, looking from the handle and then up to the goddamn deadbolt screwed to the door right about the handle. "That's a deadbolt." I said with a shake of my head and a worried glance to Scott who sighed once he looked at the door again himself. He thought for a moment before he jerked his head back up to look at me.

"The janitor has a key." He flickered his eye between Stiles and I.

"You mean, his body has it." Stiles clarified, pressing his lips together tightly as we kept constantly facing the harsh side effects of reality.

"I can get it." Scott said after a few moments of silence. I chewed on my bottom lip nervously and looked behind us to see that three innocent bystanders were all huddled together and weren't exactly listening to the conversation. "I can find him by scent—by blood." Scott whispered, leaning in closer to us to avoid them hearing at all.

"Well, gee, that sounds like an incredibly terrible idea." Stiles spat, making the beginning of the statement sound happy but then descending into an angry tone.

"You see, the whole point of our plan is to not have any get killed." I pointed out, bouncing on my toes and throwing my arms out at my sides. "What else you got?"

"I'm getting the key." Scott decided and then brushed passed us. I blinked for a few moments slightly stunned before I turned around to see just exactly what Scott had in mind.

"Are you serious?" Allison asked Scott as he was directly in front of her. Apparently, she had been listening to the louder bits of our conversation but luckily didn't hear the part where he was talking about scent.

"Well, it's the best plan." Scott defended and I rolled my eyes. I would have liked to argue but…I didn't have a better idea. "Someone has to get the key if we wanna get out of here." Stiles and I slowly made our way over to our friend.

"You can't go out there unarmed." Allison argued once more, her voice cracking as she said the words. Her eyes were already watering from the past events and I was sure she was going to start crying soon.

Scott thought for a moment before shooting forward and grabbing a stick with a white finger pointer at the top. I reached forward and slapped the werewolf in the head, making him hiss and turn around to face me. "What the heck was that for?"

"For you being an idiot!" I snapped, glaring at him. "You really think a…guy with murderous habits is going to be defeated with a stick?"

"Well it's better than nothing." Scott tried to protect and I simply scoffed and rolled my eyes once more.

"There's gotta be something else." Stiles muttered, shaking his head.

"There is." Lydia finally spoke up after a while of not talking. Everyone looked towards the strawberry blonde. Then, she nodded towards a different part of the room and I turned my head to see a cabinet filled with chemicals.

"What are we gonna do? Throw acid on him?" Stiles asked anxiously and I lightly slapped him in the chest, silently telling him to shut the hell up.

"No." Lydia replied back to him with narrowed eyes and a tone that was basically making him feel stupid. "Like a fire bomb. In there is everything you need to make a self-igniting Molotov cocktail."

"Self-igniting-?"

"Molotov cocktail." Lydia finished her tone dangerously serious.

Jackson slowly turned to look at his girlfriend with a confused expression. "What?" He dumbly asked and that's when Lydia realized her mistake.

"I read it somewhere." She easily lied and Jackson bought it. I sighed quietly and shot her a sad look before she quickly looked away from me.

"We don't have a key for that either." Stiles said, gesturing to the chemical cabinet.

I saw Jackson mentally fight with himself for a moment before he exhaled deeply and then threw his elbow inside the cabinet. It shattered to pieces and I raised my eyebrows, slightly surprised that he did it in the first place. As soon as the glass was finished falling, Lydia rushed forward and grabbed the bottles she needed. Jackson followed her over to a lab table where she began to work while Scott and Allison stayed in the corner. I decided to take a minute and sit down, sitting beneath the chalkboard, hidden behind the bigger lab table in the front of the room. Stiles took a seat beside me.

I was quiet for a few moments before I licked my lips and spoke. "I don't know what got into me earlier." I muttered, pulling my knees up to my chest and wrapping my arms around my calves. "I _punched_ , Jackson, Stiles."

"Yeah, and it was freaking awesome." Stiles quietly cheered, grinning like a child and making me glare at him devilishly. "Was it not?"

"Look, I…sort of have a history of being quite…violent." I hesitated with my words. I hadn't really gone into detail with anyone about my past and for me to be telling Stiles, he must be feeling pretty special.

"Uh, I feel like I should have gotten that for your constant violence towards me and then punching two people in the face in the same day." Stiles shrugged his shoulders and I looked over at him, just staring at him for a moment. He wasn't freaking out, wasn't judging me, and he certainly wasn't turning up his nose at me like probably all the snobby rich kids in this town would. "But why are you so afraid to tell me?" He asked, turning his head to look down at me.

I swallowed and the blinked, sighing and tipping my head back to rest against the wall. "I lost a lot of friends by getting into fights and getting suspended." I answered, staring up at the ceiling. "It was always me constantly hitting someone or jumping into the bigger fights in the school hallways. I promised my sister that when I came back here, I wouldn't cause any trouble and I feel like I'm slowly gonna break that promise."

"I don't see how. I mean, you haven't punched anyone in the face _during_ school." Stiles pointed out, pulling his legs up to his chest like me except leaving his a bit more spread out. "You can't exactly get suspended for punching Jackson and me doubt Mr. Harris will turn you into the principal."

After a few seconds, I let the corners of lips quirk up and I nodded up at the sky. "I guess you're right." I exhaled and then turned to look at Stiles. "In all fairness, I did only punch people in the face to protect my friends."

"And you protecting people is badass." Stiles once again applauded me and this time, I fully smiled at the boy sitting beside me. "I never actually thanked you for protecting me and backing me up earlier."

"What do you mean?" I inquired, furrowing my brow.

"I mean that you were on the same page about my dad. You basically defended him even more than I did." Stiles answered gesturing towards me with his chin. "And I wanted to say thank you."

"Stiles, your dad is an amazing guy. I wouldn't want him to get hurt ever." I told him honestly, shaking my head. "You guys, minus maybe Jackson, are the most important friends I've had in a really long time."

Stiles was quiet for a few moments before a small smirk appeared on his face. It reminded me of when we'd first argued on the lacrosse field a long time ago, before I even knew about werewolves, and I knew he was about to say something that was going to piss me off.

"You mean we're your best friends." Stiles then said and, surprisingly, it didn't piss me off. Maybe he was right. I'd already admitted to Allison and Lydia that they were my best friends—what made Stiles and Scott different? I hung out with them a lot more often, I'd gone through all of their shenanigans with them so far. I cared if they lived or died and for the first time ever, I didn't ever want to lose them because of my temper.

"Yeah," I whispered out calmly, nodding my eyes slowly and not letting my eyes leave his, "You guys are my best friends."

"No." I suddenly heard Allison protest and I gave Stiles a confused look before standing up from the floor. When I resurfaced, I saw that Lydia had finished her cocktail and handed it to Scott and Allison was defienently not on board with this idea. "No, this is insane. You can't do this. You cannot go out there."

I could see the tears just daring to fall and I felt nothing but pity for Allison. I was still even afraid of Scott going out there. If the alpha decided to pull another stunt like he did in the parking lot, Scott was going to die. I couldn't let Scott and Derek die in the same night but it seemed there was no turning back for the teenage werewolf. Still, I needed to put some faith in him. I had to believe that he could get the keys and get us out of here before the alpha attacked him. Plus, he could light the alpha on fire if he even got close to him and that could slow the alpha down long enough for him to get back to safety. Now, the same wasn't exactly sure for us. If the alpha decided to get extremely angry and Scott hid, the alpha knew where we were and could just as easily come in here and eat us all until we were nothing but dust. I couldn't jump to conclusions.

"We can't just sit here waiting for Stiles's dad to check his messages." Scott fought back, gesturing to the spastic boy beside me.

"You could die." Allison argued, leaning forward closer to him dramatically.  
"Don't you get that? He's killed three people."

"And we're next." Scott calmly pointed out and I shifted uncomfortably. Derek wasn't the killer. Derek was dead. The alpha had killed four people and it was true, we probably were next. "Somebody has to do something."

"Scott, just stop," Allison protested once more as Scott tried to move towards the door. The desperation in her voice made me feel sick to my stomach by just standing back and letting him leave. "Do you remember—do you remember when you told me you knew whether or not I was lying? That I had a tell?" She was crying now and Scott nodded as an answer. "So do you. You're a horrible liar. And you've been lying all night. Just…just please—please don't go. Please don't leave us." She begged and I looked down at the floor to avoid somewhat intruding on their moment. "Please."

Scott was quiet for a few moments before looking at Stiles. "Lock it behind me." He whispered and then turned to walk away again but Allison grabbed his arm.

"Don't." She muttered before pulling him into a passionate kiss. It was an open book and you knew exactly what it meant and it was almost enough to shatter my own heart. She was kissing him like this was the last time she'd ever see him again—she was simply saying a silent goodbye and I hated it. Even though she'd kissed him, Scott still ventured closer to the door. In an attempt to help Allison, I brushed passed Stiles and was a few feet just behind my friend. As Scott left out the door, Allison turned around and she was suddenly facing me. When she saw I was standing there with the same saddened look on my face, I opened my arms and she hurried into them.

She wrapped her arms underneath my own, her hands ending up on my shoulders. I wrapped my own arms around her torso and held her close. She shook as she cried into the crook of my shoulder and I closed my eyes, running my hand through her brown curls. I didn't say anything but just let her cry in my arms and I felt my own eyes sting. I hated seeing Allison sad since it seemed she was always the person to make everyone happy. She was always trying to be the best possible person she could be and when she broke down, it was like everyone around her broke down too.

After Allison was finished crying, she took a seat down on a lab table, Lydia and Jackson standing around it as we waited. Stiles was leaned up in a chair right beside the door and was looking up at the ceiling.

"I don't get this." Allison whispered from her spot at the lab table. I had taken a seat in a chair across from everyone. "I don't get why he's out there, and why he left us. And I can't…I can't stop my hands from shaking."

"It's okay." Jackson murmured and then grabbed her hands. My eyes momentarily widened at the sight, knowing exactly what he was doing. I could see Lydia staring emotionlessly at Jackson and I wanted to console her but didn't move. "Okay, it's gonna be okay."

"Okay." Allison replied, smiling and nodding her head. I rolled my eyes and then looked down in my lap.

It was quiet for a few moments before I saw Lydia looked passed me and towards the spot where she had been making the cocktail. "Jackson, you handed me the sulfuric acid, right? It has to be sulfuric acid. It won't ignite if it's not."

"I gave you exactly what you asked for, didn't I?" Jackson snapped back but there was something about his tone that put me off.

"Yeah." Lydia answered calmly but she looked more terrified than the rest of us. "Yeah, I'm sure you did."

Once again, silence passed but then Jackson spoke up again.

"You ever going to apologize?" Jackson asked bitterly and I almost didn't realize he was talking to me. I looked over at him and saw him give me an expectant raise of my eyebrows. I paused for a moment before I exhaled deeply and shifted my stance.

"No." I answered calmly because, in fact, I wasn't. I was protecting Stiles and I wasn't going to apologize for protecting my friend. "Don't expect me to."

"You hit me in the face over a spastic loser!" Jackson snapped, bouncing forward on his toes and getting dangerously close to me.

"Unless you'd like to get hit again, I'd suggest you back up and leave the name calling to me." I spat, not moving from my spot and letting a fire ignite in Jackson's eyes. "I hit you because I was making sure you didn't lay a finger on Stiles. I'd hit you any day if you tried to lay a finger on anyone in this room."

"You need to let people fight their own battles, Tessa." Jackson then said suddenly mentally knocking me off balance. "You can't always step up to the plate and hit whoever tries to hit your friends. You really think a girl fighting for their guy friends is really a good idea?"

"Jackson, just let it go." Lydia murmured, resting her hand on Jackson's arm.

"No!" He shouted, jerking his arm away. "I'm not gonna let it go because she needs to hear this. Didn't you have anyone to tell you to tell you how to be? Huh, because I don't remember my parents telling me to fight everyone!"

"My dad is dead!" I barked angrily, stomping my feet and getting closer to Jackson. "And my mother decided she wasn't fit to be a mother anymore and left as soon as the funeral was over! So, no! I didn't have a whole lot of people telling me what to do often because that's just how I lived!"

Jackson blinked the frown still on his face but he wasn't yelling at me anymore. I saw everyone staring at me, including Stiles who'd gotten up from the floor. I swallowed thickly and then realized just exactly what I had done. I had just told everyone about my personal life and I had been trying to avoid that ever since I moved here. I let out a long, shaky sigh, my heart thudding in my chest from being so upset. Allison still had the tears in her eyes, Lydia looked somewhat devastated, Jackson looked confused, and Stiles…I couldn't exactly understand what his face said and that worried me.

"Tessa, we had no idea." Allison muttered from her place on the table top but I didn't say anything back. Even if I wanted to, I wouldn't have gotten the chance. Suddenly, a loud, dinosaur like growl erupted throughout the entire building. It was shaking the glasses on the tables and making everyone shove their fingers in their ears.

I watched as Jackson clutched onto the back of his neck, crying out in pain, and then falling to his knees. My eyes widened and I rushed forward, moving his hand off his neck after asking him multiple times what was going on. I saw four claw marks down the back of his neck and that's when he started screaming loudly. It was unlike anything I'd ever heard from him and it absolutely terrified me. I got down on my knees, sliding in front of him and gripping onto the sides of his face.

"Jackson!" I shouted, trying to fully understand what was happening but he was too busy screaming to say anything to us. Finally, he stopped screaming and that's when he instantly shoved me away. I fell backwards, bumping into the table behind me lightly.

"Like seriously, I'm okay." He grumbled, as I gawked at the lacrosse captain.

"No, you are not okay, Jackson." I argued, shaking my head. "You—you were screaming and you—you have these marks on your-"  
"I'm fine!" He shouted back at me and I tensed at his voice, clenching my jaw. Allison had gotten down from the table and was carefully coming to his side. Even Stiles had stood up and when he saw I was still on the floor after Jackson had stood up, he came over to my aide. He grabbed me by the arm and helped me get up from the floor and we both exchanged worried glances.

"It's been there for days and he won't tell me what happened." Lydia then added, giving him a very irritated look.

"As if you actually care." Jackson spat back and I narrowed my eyes.

"Oh please, don't make this your soap opera, Jackson." I scoffed, crossing my arms over my chest and rolling my eyes. "Of course she cares, she's your girlfriend."

"Look at that, you're trying to stick up for all your little friends again." Jackson taunted and I glared at him, flaring my nostrils.

"I think we all just need to relax, okay." Stiles suggested, stepping in between us.

"Where's Scott? He should be here by now." Allison whispered, running her hand through her hair. Only a few seconds after she said that, the door clicked and we all looked over to find a figure standing in front of the window. "Scott!" Allison rushed over to the door and tried to open it but it wouldn't budge. "Scott!"  
"Where is he going?" Lydia asked in a slightly panicked tone.

"Scott!" Allison cried out desperately, slamming her hands on the door as she tried to get it open but something was wrong. "Scott! Scott!"

"Stop!" Lydia suddenly shrieked making everyone literally stop what they were doing, including Allison. "Do you hear that? Listen."

I heard a faint noise that sounded like sirens and sprinted over to the window, everyone falling in step behind me. I looked out the window and saw lights flashing throughout the parking lot and in fact the loud shrill of police sirens.

"Scott, oh my God!" I paid no mind to the deputy in front of me and sprinted off towards the front doors of the school. I dropped the blanket on my way, leaving it in the middle of the parking lot and Scott turned his head to see me running in his direction. Before he could fully react, I jumped over my toes and threw my arms around his neck, shoving my face into his shoulder. "You're okay." I whispered and he reluctantly wrapped his arms around me.

"Yeah, I'm okay." He assured me though he was somewhat confused but then became comfortable with the situation. I heard someone call Mr. Stilinski away from the group and he excused himself as I pulled away. When I looked at Scott, there was a look on his face that I recognized.

"What happened? What's going on?" I asked, looking between the two boys with a worried expression.

"They couldn't find the janitor." Scott answered with a sigh, shaking his head down at the ground. "They looked everywhere."

My shoulders sagged and I sighed in defeat. "Damn."

"Well, we survived guys." Stiles then said, trying to lighten the mood. "You know? We outlasted the alpha. It's still good, right? Being alive?"

"When we were in the chemistry room, he walked right by us." Scott said, taking us to the time where we were literally still fighting for our lives. "You don't think that it heard us? You don't think that it knew exactly where we were?" He looked between us and Stiles and I held the same expressions—slightly puzzled.

"Well then how come we're still alive?" Stiles asked, shaking his head.

"It wants me in its pack." Scott answered but it didn't fully answer his question. He was about to say something else but paused when a deputy was in close range to hearing him. Once he was gone, he sighed. "But I think, first…I have to get rid of my old pack."

"What do you mean?" Stiles asked as he crossed his arms. "What old pack?"

"He means us." I murmured, knitting my brow together and letting my mouth hang open for a few seconds.

"Allison, Jackson, Lydia…" Scott backed me up on my claim. "You and Tessa."

Stiles thought for a moment, his mouth hanging open as he looked around us in thought. "The alpha doesn't wanna kill us."

"It wants me to do it."

* * *

 **AN: DUN DUN DUN! We all knew that was coming but still. I have been gone for so long and I want to deeply apologize once more. I've been so busy and didn't have any motivation to work on this story but now I do and we're back in business! Plus, I'm out of school so I have more time to work on the story. So, whoever is still here with meeee...**

 **LEAVE REVIEWS! I absolutely love your feedback!**


	18. Chapter 18

I wasn't sure how I'd been able to focus on the homework I needed to finish. Everything else seemed impossible to at least pretend to focus on because all I could see was Derek's face as blood poured out of him and hear the roars of the alpha. It was as if every time I closed my eyes, I was back at the school, running for my life. This was worse than the time at the video store. That memory seemed almost distant and irrelevant but granted I did see a dead body there too; it still made a pretty cryptic image. Still, Wednesday night probably made up for the absolute worst night of my entire life. To add to all of the PTSD side-effects, I had other problems to worry about…like the aftermath of punching Jackson in the face and telling everyone that my dad was dead and my mom was nowhere to be found. Still, Jackson's words of "wisdom" rang in my head like some insane gospel and it made me want to clamp my hands over my ears.

 _"You need to let people fight their own battles, Tessa. You can't always step up to the plate and hit whoever tries to hit your friends. You really think a girl fighting for their guy friends is really a good idea?"_

I slammed my pencil down on top of a notebook and sighed, rubbing my eyes with my palms. Light music played from my computer beside me and I'd locked all my windows, shutting all the blinds to the outside world. I made sure the backdoor and the front door was locked at all time—never answering Andre on why. She'd been skeptical of all my motives lately—constantly checking my phone, always checking the locks on the windows and doors, turning the news station, and, the greatest, leaving worried voicemails to anyone who didn't answer their phones. She probably thought I was over-reacting about this whole thing and I wanted to tell her every part of the story but I couldn't. I couldn't risk putting her in danger. I got an inside look at how terrifying this life was and I didn't want her to be a part of that no matter how confused it made her.

I reached forward and clicked the pause button on the music website. The room went silent except for my heartbeat and my own thoughts. I sighed exasperatedly and leaned back in my chair, placing my hands in my lap. I stared down at my dry fingers and swallowed thickly, once again wallowing in the void of my own memories. I was preparing to dive back into the night but I was snapped out of it by a loud thud directly above my bedroom. I jumped at the noise and instantly became alert, snapping my head up to look in the spot where I'd heard the sound. When I didn't hear it after a while, I figured it was just a fit of my imagination but when the thud was outside my window this time, I gasped. I rolled forward in my chair, turning off the lamp and rolling towards my bedroom door. I sat in the dark, a hand clamped over my mouth to keep from breathing too loudly. Then, to my complete and utter surprise, a knock came from the other side of my window closest to my desk that wasn't blocked by a nightstand.

"Tessa, open the window. _Now_."

Upon hearing the familiar voice, I scrambled up from the chair resulting in the wheels sliding quickly. The chair slipped out from underneath me and I slammed the front of my body into the wooden floor. I grunted but then hurriedly pushed myself up and sprinted over my window. I flung open the blinds and when I saw his face, I tried not to let out a hysterical scream. My eyes widened with both fear and confusion, a hand clamped over my mouth as I settled for gasping. I stared at the narrowed dark eyes and the unkempt beard on his cheekbones and jawline. I could see his frown increase the longer I didn't move a single muscle. I honestly could care less out pissed her got because he had some serious explaining to and my confusion slowly turned into anger. I clenched my jaw and then moved my hand down from my mouth, settling a fiery glare on him. I glanced over my shoulder at my crack bedroom door before storming over, shutting it calmly, and then stomping back over to my window.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" I whispered furiously, making sure that Andre wouldn't hear me from downstairs. Granted, she was watching a movie, but she'd had ears like a hawk ever since she picked me up from the school. "Are you trying to get yourself arrested?"

Derek rolled his dramatically and settled on his heels, gripping onto the top of my outside window frame. He seemed to have no issues balancing which meant I wasn't in a hurry to let him inside. "I have you guys to thank for that."

"Hey, don't you dare blame me." I growled, shoving the tip of my pointer finger against the glance, the only thing separating me from poking him in the chest and sending him falling off my roof. "That was all Scott's idea. Maybe since you decided to stick around, you figured that out by now."

"That doesn't matter right now." Derek sighed, rubbing his forehead with a hand. "Look, just let me inside."

"No." I instantly snorted, shaking my head. "No way in absolute hell."

"Seriously, Tessa let me in."

"Why?" I asked cockily, crossing my arms over my chest. "You wanna spit blood all over me again?"

"Are you really doing this right now?" Derek muttered like an elder brother to a younger sister. Answering his question, I nodded defiantly and didn't back down. "You are a pain in my ass."

"Then why are you here?"

"Let me in."

"No."

"Then I guess you aren't going to find out." Derek huffed, smiling bitterly. I frowned, the crease in between my eyebrows deepening. I rapped my foot against my bedroom floor before groaning and throwing my head back. My arms swung down from my chest and slapped my sides. "Derek 1, Tessa 0."

"Shut up. Like seriously, I will call the cops." I threatened, raising my eyebrows and giving him a serious look. I shuffled forward and unlocked the windows, sliding it upwards enough to where Derek could slip inside. He quietly jumped down to the floor and then brushed himself off, fixing his leather jacket. "Are you happy now?"

"Considering the boy across the street with werewolf hearing didn't pick up on me, yes." Derek answered; shrugging his shoulder and making me roll my eyes. I reached over to turn back on my lamp and closed my books.

"I can't catch a break from you people." I breathed, mostly to myself but I knew Derek could hear me. "Can I just finish my math homework without having to deal with werewolf problems?"

"Need you be reminded that you were the one who wanted in on this?" Derek asked and I bit down on the inside of my cheek, sending a glare to Derek.

"You don't understand how hard this is for a human, alright? You don't have to live in the same house as a person who's completely clueless. By being here right now, you are putting Andre in danger." I accused, jutting a finger at him. I squared up with Derek, crossing my arms back over my chest. He was quiet for a few moments before glancing around my bedroom, taking in the bland décor. "Besides, Scott left an hour ago with Stiles. And if he was home, I doubt he'd be able to hear you over all of the Adele songs playing loudly throughout the house while his mom is at work."

"You're amount of sympathy is truly inspiring, Tessa." Derek murmured weakly as he continued to look around my room as if he were captivated in it. Instead, he wrinkled his nose up in silent distaste and returned his attention to me.

I smiled bitterly, cocking my head to the side. "It's always a compliment." I whispered with a sickly sweet tone while he shoved his hands into his pockets. "Tell me why you're here and why you don't want Scott to know you're alive."

"The less people that know I'm alive, the better. Word travels fast in this town in case you haven't noticed." He grumbled, taking a comfortable seat in my desk chair. I decided to sit down on my bed, Derek turning the chair so that we were across from each other. It was so odd to see him here—in my room. I always saw him in broody scenes—except for the school bathroom—but that was beyond the point.

"Yeah, I'm aware." I exhaled deeply, bobbing my eyebrows. "Derek, look, I just want to say that I'm sorry we dragged you into this mess."

"I thought it was Scott?" Derek quickly inquired, cocking up an eyebrow.

"I was there so I count." I snapped, glaring at him. "Just accept the apology or something. It's the least you could do."

"Fine, I accept your apology but not Scott's." Derek told me and I curtly nodded. "Speaking of him again, did Stiles tell you about tomorrow night?"

I paused for a moment before shaking my head slowly. "No, I haven't spoken to him at all really this weekend." I answered skeptically.

Derek's gaze settled into a serious stare and I awkwardly cleared my throat, looking away while rocking on my butt. "Tomorrow is a full moon."

"A say what now?" I mumbled, my eyes widening with panic.

"Do you really not know what a full moon is?" Derek asked with a cringe.

"Of course I know what a full moon is." I hissed angrily. "I'm just trying to process the fact that my friend is going to turn in a man-beast tomorrow night and I am just finding out right now because my other friend is a spastic idiot that doesn't pay attention to detail and instead thinks he can constantly hide things from me even though I basically am involved in this since we almost both were killed by the alpha werewolf,"—I paused for a moment, counting my fingers—"four days ago."

I was panting by the end of my rant, my shoulders going up and down slowly. Derek was looking at me like I'd just grown and extra set of arms and there was another eye on my forehead. He'd slightly leaned back away from me and his nose was scrunched up like he'd smelled something bad. I sighed, trying to calm down, and ran a hand through hair. I looked down at the ground, closing my eyes and swallowing thickly.

"You're scared."

I lifted my eyes up to look at Derek. "What?" I whispered, furrowing my brow.

"You're scared for Scott and Stiles." Derek elaborated and I paused before nodding silently with a solemn look on my face.

"Yeah, I am." I murmured, placing my hands on my knees. "Derek, you need to tell them you're alive. We—we can't do this by ourselves. You're the only one who can help us, alright? What—what if Scott goes completely ballistic and kills people? What if the Argents find him and kill him? What if the alpha makes him try to kill us again?"

Derek had gotten up from his chair and was towering over me. I looked up at him with the most desperate look I could muster. For a moment, I saw the front he constantly put up fail. His lips turned down but not in annoyed frown, but in a depressed one. His green eyes glossed over and he squinted slightly. My breathing was shaking and I gritted my teeth, the anticipation almost weighing on my shoulders like an elephant. Then, as if the world wanted me to really hate Derek; he closed his eyes, sucking in a deep breath. He rolled his shoulders and then opened back up his eyes. Then, the thing that literally made my chest seize, was the shake of his head as he silently told me no. He was telling me that he wouldn't help us. "I'm sorry."

"No you're not." I growled, standing up quickly and getting dangerously close to him. "You don't want to help us because Scott told the police you were the killer. You are doing this for revenge!"

"It is _not_ revenge, Tessa. You don't understand the life I have to live now because of your friends. If I tell Stiles, he'll tell his dad." Derek argued, angrily.

"I can tell him to keep his mouth shut." I suggested desperately. "I can literally duct tape his mouth."

"It isn't that easy. Scott would give me up." Derek said, shaking his head once more. "Look, Tessa, I want to help you. You're practically the one I haven't wanted to rip your throat out with my teeth."

"Then help me by doing this Derek, please." I whispered, grabbing onto the collar of his leather jacket and pleading with him. I felt pathetic for being so desperate but I didn't want anyone else to die. I didn't want Scott to have blood on his hands.

"I can't." He muttered, shoving his hands off of jacket. I didn't drop them to my sides; I just held them up in the air. My mouth hung open in shock as Derek pinched the bridge of his nose. He opened his mouth to say something else but then quickly shut it. I didn't have the nerve to stop him when he retreated to my bedroom window. He opened it and without one last glance, he jumped out into the night, leaving me alone.

* * *

"Is this really necessary?" I groaned, looking through the window above the kitchen sink and seeing the police cruiser parked out front with a deputy in the driver's seat. "I feel more like a prisoner than a victim."

"Hey, it isn't up to me but Stilinski insisted." Andre sighed, shrugging her shoulder as she came to stand beside me. She took a sip of her coffee and I side-glanced her, wrinkling my nose.

"You sound very put-off about this." I sarcastically mentioned and she hadn't realized I was looking at her. She did a double-take and then smacked her lips, rolling her eyes. She turned her body to face me and set her coffee down.

"Look, Tessa, I'm worried about you still too. That devastatingly handsome Derek Hale is running around out there killing people. He tried to kill you." Andre pointed out and I didn't bypass the comment about Derek. I wanted to argue with her, tell her that wasn't the truth but how believable would it be me telling her that a mysterious alpha werewolf was trying to kill us because my friend, who's also a werewolf, is part of his pack and he wants him to kill us instead?

"I don't need to be babied." I grumbled, pushing off of the counter and grabbing my backpack off the kitchen table. "Do I have to ride in the cruiser too?"

Andre pressed his lips together before shaking her head. "I got a phone call last night and someone requested to bring you to school."

"Don't be cryptic, Andre. I'm not in the mood." I snapped, crossing my arms over my chest and raising my eyebrows. "Who is it?"

With perfect timing, there was a knock on the front door and Andre grimaced. Narrowing my eyes, I stared at her before slowly making my way over to the front door. I came around the corner and then reached forward opening it. Suddenly, a fist came flying at my face and I ducked, a surprised yelp slipping through my lips.

"Oh shit!"

I nearly screamed when I recognized the voice instantly. I closed my eyes, still crouched down on the floor, and locked my jaw. I pressed my palm to my forehead before looking over my shoulder to find Andre giving me a weak smile as she realized I was not happy about this arrangement at all. Slowly, I rose to my feet and opened my eyes, my blue orbs colliding with a pair of terrified golden ones. He was searching my face frantically, his lips slightly parted from when he'd almost punched me and the powder blue Jeep remained prevalent behind him. Of course, Stiles Stilinski would want to drive me to school after something bad happened.

"What the holy hell were you thinking?" I hissed, glaring at him. I didn't miss the fact that Andre choked on her coffee behind me, clearing not aware that I was going to be subliminally pissed that Stiles was picking me up.

Stiles opened and closed his mouth like a fish before rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "Well, um, I wasn't actually." He replied and I narrowed my eyes, giving him a confused glare. "You see, I took Scott and a bottle of Jack Daniels out last night and then I had this really wonderful idea to never let you leave my sight until the whole thing blows over." He chose his words carefully, his eyes flickering towards Andre.

Understanding the situation, I groaned and then pinched the bridge of my nose. "So, a very drunk version of Stiles decided that he was going to turn into my body guard?" I clarified and he paused, thinking it over, before nodding curtly. "Great, how does that sound to sober Stiles?"

"Well, it's actually hungover Stiles," He corrected, bouncing on his toes and then licking his chapped lips. "And he thinks it's sort of a good idea and sort of not because now you look like you want to punch him and I am begging you not to."

"It only makes it fair." I argued, shrugging my shoulder carelessly. "You did try to punch me."

"Uh, yeah, keyword: try." Stiles snapped, settling his eyes into a glare. "Besides, even Scott told me it was a good idea. He mentioned that the addition to all of this besides your outstanding attitude"—I smirked bitterly—"I might actually get more time with Lydia."

I nodded slowly before running my tongue over my teeth. "Got it. So…is this you keeping an eye on me or keeping an eye on Lydia because it's getting really hard to tell the difference here, Stilinski." I nearly whisper-yelled the last part and he cringed.

"You are really angry this morning. Why?" He actually whisper-yelled the last part and got close to my face.

For the first time in my whole existence, I was speechless. It wasn't because I didn't know how to answer back it was because I physically couldn't. The words were caught in my throat and my lips wouldn't move. It felt like my entire body had frozen up in the middle of the conversation and in a way, it had. It was like Stiles being this close to me made me flip in an alternate universe where I couldn't retort back. On the first day of school, I could have easily snapped back at the idiot with so much fire, he'd think he was actually on fire. Now, his breath dangerously close to my lips, made me immobile and someone completely different than I knew since the fifth grade. The whole thing made my stomach flip and my eyes search his face for something I wasn't quite sure of. Luckily, being as stupid and clueless as he was, he didn't notice a single thing.

"Get out of my face." I finally hissed, placing my palms on his chest and shoving him backwards but not enough to send him falling off my porch. He simply stumbled and Andre huffed, stomping away.

In a desperate getaway, I nearly ran out the front door, trying to get to the Jeep as fast as I could. Still, I'd have to be in the same confined space as him which meant I wasn't getting that far away. I tried to calm myself down, cursing at myself in his mirror on the ceiling before sighing and running my hands down my face. I jumped when Stiles opened the driver side door but he didn't notice that either. I simply shifted in my seat and rested my head against his window, letting my eyes fall shut in exhaustion. He climbed in and the Jeep rattled to a start, grunting and sputtering. It then shook and started lively with a not so majestic roar. I heard Stiles chuckle and then looked through slits in my eyes as he patted the dashboard.

"You are especially angry this morning." Stiles noted once more except this time not getting in my eyes. I completely reopened my eyes and then sighed, looking at the side of his face. He glanced towards me, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel in an unfamiliar tune and pressing his tongue to the inside of his cheek. "What's wrong with you? You're like Tessa on steroids."

"Why didn't you tell me there was going to be a full moon tomorrow night?" I asked him bluntly, deciding not to beat around the bush anymore. The question seemingly caught him off guard. He stopped tapping his fingers for a single moment before inhaling deeply. "Stiles…"

"I did it for a good reason, alright?" He justified with a squeaky tone, deciding to look at me through his mirror. He licked his lips and then shook his head. "Look, I—I don't want you involved in this."

"That isn't your decision so nice try." I scoffed, crossing my arms over my chest and rolling my eyes. "That's a shitty reason, Stilinski."

"I mean that I don't want you around Scott tonight." Stiles elaborated and I paused, my demeanor faltering slightly before I narrowed my eyes.

"You think I'm gonna let you take on a teenage werewolf all by yourself?" I snorted, cocking up an eyebrow and to my surprise, Stiles didn't retort. He simply gave me a look. "You're serious…aren't you?"

"Tessa, after that night at school I just don't want you to get hurt."

"Stiles, I was perfectly fine!" I tried not to shout but I lifted forward in my seat, pressing my hand to my chest. "I can handle myself. What? You don't think I can handle myself?"

"I'm not even sure if I'm gonna be able to pull this off." Stiles justified, his leg that wasn't driving going wild. It bounced up and down so fast; I wasn't able to keep up. "There are so many people involved in this now—Lydia, Allison, Jackson, and you."

"I chose to be involved." I argued, shaking my head. "And I don't like that they're suddenly involved now too but I wanted to do this. I wanted to help you guys."

"And that's great. That's really, really great." Stiles told me honestly, smiling at me weakly. "But…I don't want something to happen to you."

"You're making me sound like a child." I snapped bitterly and making him grimace. "You are not my brother or—or my dad or my _boyfriend_!" I basically hissed the last word and I didn't miss the way Stiles stiffened after I said it. I didn't miss the blush that crept onto his cheeks and the large breath he held.

He cleared his throat, the blush quickly going away as fast as it had come. "You're right but I am your friend." He said firmly. "You aren't a child, Tessa. You are anything but a child and that's what makes you really special. You are stronger than the rest of us and we need that strength in our normal human lives."

"You are making no sense. Seriously, make sense or shut up." I huffed, glaring through the window shield and falling backwards in my seat.

"Scott is afraid he's going to want to kill you the most tonight!" Stiles said loudly, making me jump.

I suddenly felt like I had been slapped across the face. My mouth was hanging open and quiet breaths slipped through my broken lips. The entire Jeep went silent as I took in Stiles's words. I thought I almost felt my eyes start to sting but I mostly felt sick to my stomach. I blinked, swallowing thickly and dropping my chin to rest on my chest. I stared down in my lap before exhaling deeply.

"Why?" I choked out, not really wanting to know the answer but I needed to know. I needed to understand why my friend would want to kill me the most.

"Scott has been my best friend since the first grade. He's turned before and not attacked me because he knows who I am. He knows that he won't hurt me because we care about each other." Stiles explained softly, afraid to look at me. "Of course you're his friend and he cares about you but you guys just started becoming close friends. He—he's afraid he's not going to be able to remember or feel a connection to you when he turns."

I bit down on the tip of my tongue, nodding along with Stiles's words. I sucked my top lip beneath my teeth and then released it slowly. I glanced down at the seats and saw one of Stiles's hands was off the wheel and resting beside his leg. Tentatively, I reached out and placed my hand underneath his. He jumped slightly against my touch but didn't move so I kept moving. I proceeded to lace our fingers and I felt a sort of calmness fall over me. I saw him glance down at our intertwined hands and the corners of his lips twitched upwards. He rubbed his thumb soothingly across my skin and I relaxed into the touch, letting my eyes fall shut and my head rest the seat back lazily.

I felt Stiles go over a speed bump in the road and I opened back up my eyes, seeing that we had pulled into the school parking lot. Kids that weren't escorted by sheriff deputies stared as the powder blue Jeep rolled into the line that consisted of only a few cars, including a wine colored Tahoe that held my best friend. I hadn't spoken to Allison much considering she basically cut herself off from the world after breaking up with Scott. I hadn't spoken to Scott either but saw him taking out the trash when I was sitting on my front porch in the morning. He'd waved to me but the sad look on his face told me that he was not handling their break well. Obviously Stiles had tried to help and I'm sure Scott appreciated it but I doubt anything could help Scott at this point. He was like a kicked freaking puppy and Allison had been the steel toed boot. I also felt somewhat guilty. She broke up with Scott because she felt like he was lying to her when in reality; I was lying to her too. She shouldn't be friends with me but she still was and it literally made me sick to my stomach. It wasn't fair to her.

We finally made it up to the front entrance of the school and my eyes casually drifted over the building I now saw in my dreams. Unfortunately, my eyes landed on something I hoped I wouldn't notice.

 _"Get down!" I ordered in a surprisingly firm voice. I felt an arm push down on my back and my knees hit the floor when the sound of smashing glass clattered through the air._

I visibly grimaced when I saw white plastic covering the shattered window in one of the classrooms facing the parking lot. There was yellow caution tape strewn across every inch and it warned people that there was in fact no window there at all. They suggested that Derek Hale had broken the window in an attempt to get inside but I knew what happened. I couldn't say it out loud or else people would think I was crazy. An alpha werewolf trying to kill us tore the battery out of my friend's Jeep, which had gotten fixed over the weekend, and then threw it at us to try and hurt us. I was pretty sure people already thought I was starting to go insane but I didn't need a daily meeting with the school counselor. She freaked me out anyways.

I sighed quietly and then looked away from the window, glad that we were now turning into the parking lot. The squad car parked themselves in the back of the lot as Stiles turned into his usual parking space. We climbed out of the Jeep and I waited for Stiles as he clambered out of the Jeep. He came up beside me and I smiled at the boy. He smiled back at me before throwing his arm over my shoulders in a casual way, obviously trying to calm the nerves in my stomach. We began to walk towards the school and I took a deep breath. We had made it out alive and I didn't have to worry anymore. Nothing was going to happen to us. We were all safe right now and I needed to relish in that before things got bad again. Of course I didn't forget what Stiles had said to me but I didn't have to think about that right now. Instead, I focused on the fact that I was walking alongside my friend, alive and safe.

We'd made it to the sidewalk when Stiles found Scott and ran off to talk to him. I bid my farewell and then turned around to face the crimson Tahoe. The window was rolled down on Kate's side and when she saw me, a sickly sweet grin erupted onto her features. I knew that there was no way I was getting out of this now and forced back a smile, approaching the car. I didn't miss the way Mr. Argent's eyes narrowed slightly as I got closer but simply shot him a curt wave before finding Allison pissed off in the backseat. She barely cast me a glance when I showed up.

"Tessa, what's your take on home-schooling?" Mr. Argent asked and I was slightly caught off guard when he asked the question.

"Are you seriously doing this right now?" Allison barked from the back seat, falling back towards her seat angrily and shaking the car slightly. I bit back a smile and then shrugged my shoulders.

"Well, I appreciate having social interaction with the human race instead of being locked inside a house all day with my parents and never knowing what the real world is like." I explained and I could see Allison cover her mouth with her hand, trying to hide a smile. Kate was biting her lip with a smirk and Mr. Argent looked like he was absolutely fuming. "Home-schooling isn't all it's cracked up to be, Mr. Argent. I wouldn't advise it."

Kate busted out in laughter, unable to contain herself anymore and slapped her hands down on the dashboard. "And that is what happens when you ask your daughter's best friend for advice!" She cheered, throwing her brother a fierce grin. I sucked my bottom lip over my teeth and rocked on my heels, trying to ignore the glare Mr. Argent shot me and glancing around innocently.

"Hm, Tessa," Allison finally spoke up, leaning in between the seats. "What is your take on overprotective Dad's that keep ruining each other's lives?"

I thought for a moment before looking at Kate who had the same idea. "You do the honors." I told her and she kept the smug grin on her face while leaning across her brother. She clicked the unlock button on the doors and got into his face.

I took a step backwards as Allison quickly told her aunt thanks. She hopped out of the car and I had to hurry to keep up with her as she tried to put as much distance as she possibly could between us and her family. I glanced over my shoulder and waved goodbye to Kate. Sure their family was terrifying but that didn't mean I had to put them on my bad side at this point. If I wanted to stay friends with Scott and Allison, I'd have to make alliances with the villains and the heroes.

"Sounds like your father is taking this well," I told my friend sarcastically as we made our way towards the school. "I also see you were also escorted to school."

"This is ridiculous." Allison huffed, hiking her bag up on her shoulders. "He's over-reacting about all of this. I'm just lucky you and Kate were there."

"I wouldn't let him homeschool you." I said with distaste. "I'd be left with Lydia. I'd never make it out alive."

Allison giggled, brushing a strand of dark hair behind her ear. "I haven't talked to her since that night. She was pretty shaken up. Do you think she'll come?"

"Of course she will." I answered, snorting. "She'll talk about this being some grand entrance even if no one knew we were inside the school."

"I doubt that matters. Two of us did show up today with police escorts so I wouldn't be surprised if people put it together." Allison justified, shrugging her shoulder as we went up the staircase. She then sighed and chewed on her bottom lip.

"You're thinking about something else, aren't you?" I asked quietly and she nodded sheepishly as her cheeks turned a rose colored. "Let me guess, it has to do with a floppy haired puppy dog boy?"

Allison paused and then turned her head towards me, an eyebrow cocked. "Do you have nicknames for everyone?"

I shook my head, scrunching up my nose. "I didn't know Scott's name for a whole day so I had to come up with something, right?" Allison rolled her eyes and hid her smile. "He's looked like a kicked one all weekend."

Allison sighed and then opened the door to the school as we pushed our way through the early morning bustle. "What? Did you stalk him?"

"Allison, he lives across the street from me." I shot her a small glare and talked over the tops of people's heads. "Why the hell would I stalk Scott?"

"I don't know!" Allison squeaked, shrugging her shoulders innocently. "It popped into my head and I said it."

"God, you sound like Stiles." I mumbled but loud enough for her to hear. We made it through the crowd of large people and decided to stop at my locker. I spun my padlock and then opened my door, throwing random stuff inside. I glanced around the hallway and could practically see us standing here again with flashlights. "It's so weird being back. It's like everything went back to normal."

"That's the way it kind of has to be." Allison pointed out, leaning against the locker beside mine. "They don't wanna worry people."

"Just because they turned the lights back on and boarded up a window doesn't mean that I can just go back to normal." I murmured and I could see Allison give me a pitiful frown. "I'm literally living on the edge again. I can't get a damn break anymore."

"I wish I could say I understand but…I don't. I haven't been through half the things you've been through." Allison replied softly, resting her hand on my shoulder. I glanced at her over my shoulder and grabbed my books for the first class of the day. "You're really brave, you know that?" I hummed, bobbing my eyebrows and shrugging over her hand. "I'm serious."

"I know." I said nodding. "I just don't know why you think that."

"I think you've forgotten about what happened at the school besides us almost getting murdered." Allison scoffed and I gave her a confused look. "You punched Jackson in the face, Tessa!"

I rushed forward, holding up my hands. "Will you keep it down?" I hissed angrily, glancing around to see if anyone had heard. "I don't need everyone know that, alright? Lydia would kill me if I dropped any lower on the social chain."

Allison rolled her eyes in annoyance and then crossed her arms as I shut my locker. "Whatever." She grumbled and then shook her head. "I also recall you leaking out some pretty personal information…"

"Can we not talk about that?" I requested sheepishly, ducking my head and beginning to make my way towards the classroom. "It isn't a subject I like to bring up as a conversation starter."

"Tessa, why didn't you tell me?" Allison muttered, grabbing my arm and stopping me. "Did you tell anyone?"

I swallowed thickly and let my eyes roam around the crowded hallway. Finally, I answered with a shake of my head. "I didn't want people treating me like some fragile china doll because I'm not." I told her sternly. "Sure my dad died and my mom's off the grid but that doesn't mean I can't handle myself."

Allison nodded quickly, afraid she might mess something up. "No, I mean, you can handle yourself just fine." She agreed with me and I gave a weak smile.

"We'd better get to class." I breathed out and then turned around on my heel, calmly making my way through yet the crowd.

* * *

 **AN: This is a weird somewhat filler chapter, I know but I just wanted to get this all in here. I haven't updated in a while and I figured I should do that before it got super late. I decided to get some more Derek/Tessa time in here and Andre/Tessa and some much needed Allison/Tessa time. I really enjoyed the scene with Stiles and I'm really starting to show how their friendship is consistently sprouting into something wonderful. Tessa is a bit confused on what she's feeling so it'll become somewhat no-existent until we get to Scott's house. I figured I'd just throw something in there to show that things are starting to connect inside Tessa's mind but considering she's guarded, she's gonna constantly shove those feelings inside and focus on more "important" things.**

 **As always, please leave reviews they inspire me to update faster!**


	19. Chapter 19

I hardly even noticed the sound of paper crumbling behind me. I was focusing so much on my work that I barely paid attention to anything going on around me. Apparently, that upset someone which resulted in that paper being crumpled being thrown towards the back of my head. Mere seconds after it acquired its target, I jerked my focus from my work. Subtle the throw was which meant that no one else noticed that it had even happened. I spun around in my hair, my brown locks whipping around dangerously as my eyes searched for the pitcher. Easily, my eyes landed on the pair of idiots sitting just a few desks away from me and they both looked scared out of their minds. I narrowed my fierce blue orbs into narrow slits and gripped the back of my hair tightly. To my surprise, Stiles jutted his pointer finger at Scott and for a moment, I thought Stiles was just trying to save his ass, but then Scott gave me a curt wave. Hesitantly, my anger dissolved and I cast a glance towards the teacher before returning back to Scott. I cocked my head to the side and with ease he mouthed:

 _"After class."_

I nodded in understanding and then slowly turned back around in my seat. I reached up to pick the paper ball up off the floor and instinctively opened it. When I had finished unwrapping the sphere, I became instantly confused at the content. There were no words, pictures, or symbols. There were just for claw marks stabbed directly through the paper. With a thick gulp, I glanced around to see if anyone was watching me but no one cared. Nervously, I folded it into a tiny square before tucking it in my backpack, making sure to give Scott a worried glance but he seemed completely unaffected. Stiles paid nearly not attention to us, his head buried in the paper he still had yet to finish. Luckily, there were only a few minutes left of class which meant I wouldn't have to endure the painfully long class period of anticipation and waited for the bell to ring. Not soon enough, it did, and everyone shot up from their seats—including the three of us.

We waited till enough people filed out and then Stiles held the door open for Scott and I as we entered the hallway. We all easily fell into step beside each other, Scott and Stiles on either side of me. For a second, we didn't say anything as we navigated through the crowd of people. Then, the two boys leaned in closer to me as if we were creating our own personal bubble from the whole world. I made a face of confusion and slight discomfort and finally one of them spoke.

"We need to discuss the full moon tonight." Stiles said quietly, glancing between me and his werewolf best friend. "Uh, Tessa knows now."

Scott groaned like a child, throwing his head back and making his dark hair shake. "Come on!" He nearly shouted up at the ceiling. "Stiles, I threw the paper because you told me to ask her about Allison, not to talk about the full moon."

"Do you not see my motive here?" Stiles asked him sarcastically, waving his hands around slightly and making me roll my eyes. "Besides, I would have thrown the paper but she would have killed me so I had to think of something."

"You're a dick." Scott spat with much more anger than I expected. Stiles, trying not to be offended, dramatically rolled his eyes.

"Hey, claws drool, life rules. Let's keep'em hidden, shall we?" I muttered seriously, raising my eyebrows and not failing to notice that the tips of his werewolf weapons were starting to rise up on his fingers. Scott took a deep breath before nodding. "You got my attention, what are we doing?"

"We need to come up with a game-plan—a werewolf proof plan so we don't get out throats ripped out tonight." Stiles then glanced to the boy. "Sorry, Scotty,"

"No, no, I get it but…" Scott clenched his jaw and his gaze fell on me. "Stiles, we talked about her being there."

"Don't talk over me." I snapped, glaring dangerously. "I'm right here."

"Tessa, I know Stiles told you about how I feel and it's all true." Scott muttered, shaking his head and stopping our walk. "I don't wanna hurt you."

"What is it with you people?" I grumbled, looking between him and Stiles. "Everyone seems to think that I'm some wimpy human that needs to be sheltered and baby like some—some baby!" Some glances were cast our way. "I told Stiles from the beginning that I would be there to help you because you are my friend. I wanted to do anything I possibly could to help you and me being there tonight is helping you. Plus, I don't wanna think about what would happen if we let Stiles do that alone…"

"Hey!"

"…but I won't get hurt because—because I can do this. I can protect myself against you even if you have inhuman strength, fangs, and claws." I grimaced, noticing how bad in sounded. "And I can't stand the thought of something happening to Stiles because I wasn't there to help him."

I looked over my shoulder and the spastic teenager had his mouth hanging slack. His face held an unreadable expression and he blinked slowly like he was in slow motion. I could see Scott slowly lift his eyes up to meet the eyes of his best friend and I nearly saw a small smile twitch at the corners of his lips. I chewed on the inside of my cheeks to keep from grinning and then stepped back, shifting my backpack on my shoulder. With the bell ringing for the next class, I didn't bother saying goodbye as I rushed away from them. I hadn't even realized my face had heated up and passed by a window to see that my cheeks were a dark red color. I couldn't believe it. I had blushed because I admitted that I didn't want anyone or anything to hurt Stiles. I rubbed my cheeks furiously, cursing incoherently before stomping my foot. I whipped my hair around angrily and then nearly stormed into my next class, falling down in the seat beside Lydia and in front of Allison.

I was too upset to even notice that the two of them were staring at me. Lydia had an eyebrow cocked, her head resting on her fist. Allison had her eyes wide with a stunned expression and she folded her hands into her lap. When I realized neither of them had said anything to them, I whipped my head around to look at my two best friends. I silently evaluated each of them before raising my eyebrows expectantly.

"What the hell are you two staring at?" I asked with a hint of bitterness. Allison cleared her throat and looked away with flushed cheeks while Lydia snorted.

"We should be the one asking you the questions considering you just fell down in your seat like an unhappy toddler." Lydia pointed out and I resisted the urge to glare at her. Instead, I sighed and slowly looked back towards the front of the room. "Your panties are in a twist because…?"

I swallowed and then shrugged my shoulders. "Nothing. Because of nothing." I answered smoothly, trying not to let Lydia know that there actually was something bothering me. I couldn't tell her about the mental crap I was going through. I wasn't sure why I was acting the way I was around Stiles but I figured I'd get over it soon.

Lydia scoffed, flipping a lock of strawberry blonde hair over her shoulder as she turned in her seat. "Sure, that totally makes sense. You're a terrible liar, Tessa." She told me in a sing-song voice while her eyes scanned the paper on the desk in front of her.

"I heard it was another mountain lion."

"No, dude, it was Derek Hale. They're looking for him everywhere."

"Harley heard that the kids in the school go here."

I blinked, glancing at Lydia who'd gone stock still. Even Allison looked like a deer caught in headlights which meant we'd all heard the same conversation between the kids in the back. Reluctantly, I looked over my shoulder and caught them all huddled together, gossiping about the events that had taken place just a few days ago. Allison, Lydia, and I all exchanged a nervous look before the teacher entered the room.

"It's just weird." Allison said to Lydia and I as we exited the classroom, the shrill sound of the bell ringing overlapping her voice. "Everybody's talking about what happened the other night and nobody knows it was us."

Lydia hummed before sucking in a breath. "Thank you for the protection of minors." She mused, grinning up at the ceiling while I chuckled to myself.

"Come on, Lydia. You would love the attention." I teased, smiling playfully and Lydia smirked while rolling her eyes as if to deny the fact.

"Do you think I made the wrong decision?" Allison then asked us, reeling her head back before letting it fall forward weakly.

Lydia stared down the side of Allison, the brunette turning to look at her. Then, Lydia tipped her chin up and down. "About that jacket with that dress?" Lydia shuddered. "Absolutely."

"Way to stay on topic here, Lyd." I muttered, making a face while Lydia simply winked at me. Allison smiled and then sighed.

"You know what I mean." Allison said and turned which seemed to make Lydia semi-annoyed.

"Hello?" She chimed, the redhead looking forward. "Scott locked us in a classroom and left us for dead. He's lucky we're not pressing charges or making him pay our therapy bills."

I opened my mouth to argue but quickly clamped it shut. I heard the bell ring once more and went to hurry off to my class without a single goodbye to my friends. As I was passing the stairwell near the principal's office, I couldn't help but backtrack when I saw someone sitting beside the door. Confused, I glanced around to see if anyone was really paying attention before I approached Stiles sitting on the ground. He heard me coming as soon as I came up the staircase and I gave him a small smile before frowning.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, stopping just by his feet. He looked up at me and I could see the extremely concerned look on his face. "Class is going to start."

"Uh, my dad's in there." Stiles answered back quietly, jerking his head in the direction of the office.

"What? Why?" I instantly became concerned myself and stepped forward. I tried to listen to what they were saying but it was nearly impossibly. My struggle didn't last long because the door of the office suddenly opened and Stiles jumped up from the floor while I turned to face the people. The vice principal, Mr. Stilinski, and another deputy exited the room.

Mr. Stilinski turned and saw that Stiles and I were in his presence. His face sort of dropped like he was really going to regret this and I tried not to visibly cringe. I suddenly wished I wasn't here anymore considering I didn't really like it when Mr. Stilinski was mad at me. Granted, I did help save his life—even if it wasn't a life-threating injury. But, I had nowhere to run now and stayed put beside Stiles as his father came over after excusing himself.

The father crossed his arms over his chest, clearing his throat while he came to a stop just in front of the two of us. "Don't you two have a test to get to?" Mr. Stilinski asked with no trace of sympathy or enjoyment. It sounded like he was struggling to stay calm and that made me want to face palm.

"What's going on? Did you find Derek yet?" Stiles asked, ignoring his father's comment and making my skin literally heat up to a thousand degrees. To avoid either of them seeing my anger about the whole thing, I dropped my head. Derek wasn't the killer. Derek had been in my house last night. Derek pissed me off. I didn't like Derek but that didn't mean I was going to give him up…ever.

"I'm workin' on it." Mr. Stilinski answered like he had answered the question a million times and with a son like Stiles, I was sure he had. "You take Tessa and go take your test."

Mr. Stilinski tried to push his son away but Stiles stopped. "Alright, Dad, listen to me."

"Go!" Mr. Stilinski ordered with a higher authority and I was about to leave when Stiles spoke up one more time.

"This is really important. You have to be careful tonight, okay? Especially tonight." Stiles begged, his voice sounding like the night when I'd seen him at the hospital. I knew what he meant. He didn't want his dad getting caught up in the werewolf business considering there were about three in town that we knew of.

"Stiles, I'm always careful." Mr. Stilinski lowered his voice, obviously seeing the distress in his son's tone. I resisted the urge to reach out and grab Stiles's hand and simply chewed on my thumbnail.

"Dad, you've never dealt with this kind of thing before, okay? At least not like this." Stiles justified once more and I knew he was talking about werewolves but Mr. Stilinski was thankfully on an entirely different page.

"I know which is why I brought in people who have." Mr. Stilinski said with a confident nod, glancing towards the other people who'd walked out of the office with him. There were two men in suits and I figured they were detectives. "State detective." He then stated and as soon as the words left the sheriff's lips, the man in the suit looked in our direction. It's like his eyes were drilling holes right into mine. I knew Derek was alive and still in town. I was guilty.

"Go take your test." Mr. Stilinski ordered once more and Stiles wanted to argue but opted for sighing. He slammed his hands down on his backpack which was clutched to his chest and then walked off without me. I wasn't offended, knowing he was more than stressed about his father working on a full moon. I turned on my heel to follow the boy to our class but a voice stopped me. "Tessa, I don't mean to trouble you, but can I talk to you for a second?"

I froze up right on the spot, my eyes widening and my blood running cold. I panicked, instantly thinking that he knew. He knew that I'd seen Derek that night but how? I had uttered a single word to anyone and no one had seen him leave or come to my house. It was impossible for anyone to know besides Derek and I and I knew damn well Derek didn't waltz into the police station and tell them he was at my house. Nonetheless, I slowly turned back around, trying to hide the frightful expression on my face. Instead, I replaced it with a weak smile, letting my eyes light up.

"What's up, Mr. Stilinski?" I chirped with a lighter mood than I intended but Mr. Stilinski didn't notice the difference between that and my normal personality. I guessed he figured I was on edge too and I was just trying to keep myself happy.

"You know, I never got to thank you and your sister." He mentioned softly, dropping his hands from his chest and letting them fall at his sides. "You did me a real big favor that night."

Relieved that this wasn't about Derek, I let out a small sigh and then shook my head. "You—you really don't have to thank us." I told him honestly. "Consider it as our way of giving back to the community."

Mr. Stilinski grimaced and scrunched up his face. "You're not quite familiar with compliments, are you?" He inquired in a mutter and I blushed, looking down at the floor. "Well, I just wanted you to know that I'm grateful you took me to the hospital that night and that you took care of Stiles for me."

Just from hearing the last bit, my head snapped up and I stared at the older man with a blank expression. My mouth hung open slightly in shock and I blinked slowly. "I—I took care of Stiles?" I breathlessly repeated with a puzzled tone.

Mr. Stilinski nodded curtly. "He said you were there for him and kept him from having one of his panic attacks." The sheriff elaborated. I could remember that night at the hospital easily. It was the night where I learned everything about werewolves, the Argents, the alpha, and Derek. It was also the night where I had hugged Stiles while he nearly cried in my arms. It made my throat close up just thinking about it again.

"Mr. Stilinski," I murmured, swallowing thickly. "I know that Stiles already told you this but…I want you to be careful too. I really, really want you to be careful."

"Like I said, I'm always careful. You have nothing to worry about." Mr. Stilinski urged, reaching out to place his hand on my forearm. I nodded weakly and then made a move to walk away but he stopped me from doing so once more. "Come here."

The man had his arms open and I didn't hesitate. I rushed forward and slammed into Mr. Stilinski. He teetered slightly with a chuckle but caught himself as I tightly grasped onto his torso. He wrapped both of his large arms around his shoulders and I rested my chin atop his own. I shut my eyes and grasped onto him tightly like he'd slip through my fingers…like he'd fall away like my own father. I wanted to cry. I wanted to sob until there were no tears left but I needed to stay strong. I couldn't give up in the middle of all this and on top of it all; I just wanted Mr. Stilinski to stay safe. I wanted Mrs. McCall to stay safe and Mrs. Martin and Andre.

Soon after, Mr. Stilinski sent me back to class. Sadly, I had gotten a tardy from Mr. Harris but he decided against giving me a detention. When I had entered the room, I'd realized that both Scott and Stiles were missing but I couldn't go after them now. So, I took a seat and started on my test, bravely trying to focus on anything else besides the full moon. I filled out the bubbles on my test, anxiously waited for the boys to return but by the time the bell rang to let us out for lunch, they hadn't arrived. I let out a sigh and then tossed my bag over my shoulder. Allison had already rushed out of the room and I let her go. I knew she was probably still distraught over her breakup with Scott and I let her be. She needed space and I was willing to give that to her. Lydia decided she wasn't going to spend time with her freaks of friends and spent time with her blonde Barbie's. I also let her go. They all needed some time to go over what happened and that meant giving them thousands of miles of space to live their normal lives. Since Scott and Stiles was MIA, I was left to sit by myself at lunch.

I grabbed my tray of food and took a seat down at a table that consisted of only one person. I barely realized they were there until I could feel eyes burning into the side of my head. Curiously, I set down my fork and then turned my head, brushing my brown hair out of my face. My brown eyes met a pair of terrified yet shocked bright blue eyes that seemed somewhat familiar. Just a seat diagonal of me, there was a boy. He wore a large, over-sized black hoodie that nearly covered his entire body. The sleeves were so long, they covered up his hand all the way to the knuckles and he'd gotten some dirt on it throughout the day. His hair was a dirty blonde, curly in every single place. He was tall, lanky, and skinner than your average teenage boy here at Beacon Hills High School. I didn't fail to notice the dark purple bruise just beneath his eye and he knew when my eyes landed on the wound because he tried to cover it up with the hood of his jacket.

Then, it suddenly clicked who he was. "Isaac," I said bluntly without even questioning if it was his name. "Isaac Lahey."

Isaac was beyond surprised that I knew his name. He wasn't afraid anymore and it was like he was completely captivated in this very moment. I wasn't exactly surprised myself. I knew that he wasn't very popular. He wasn't noticed when he walked through the hallways or sat in the back of the room. Except, I noticed him but I never made any claim to. No one brought him up in conversations or talked about him. So, I kept it to myself. I wouldn't just jump right up and scream to the world that I knew Isaac Lahey. It just didn't make sense so instead, I would simply glance his direction.

When he recovered from his shock, he nodded his head. His grip loosened around his spoon and I watched his Adam's apple bob as he gulped. "H—how do you k—know my name?" He stuttered out and I could tell he wasn't just nervous. He had a natural stutter but it wasn't bad. I could still understand what he was saying and it didn't take five minutes for him to get out a single sentence.

I decided on moving just a seat down to sit directly across from him. When I did that, he watched me closely and nearly flinched when I tossed my backpack in the seat beside me. Obviously, he was skittish and wasn't used to this much attention on him. "You're in some of my classes." I answered, shrugging my shoulder casually. "I think I actually sat by you one time." I recalled, picking up my fork and stabbing a piece of fruit on my lunch tray and then sticking it in my mouth.

"You're T—Tessa Bradley, r—right?" He clarified and I nodded quietly, swallowing my piece of fruit. I politely held out my hand to him and he stared down at it before a very, very faint smile graced his lips. His callused hand reached over and shook mine, my fingers slipping underneath his black sleeve. We retrieved our hands and continued on with my food, not letting my eyes leave Isaac.

He was not ugly whatsoever. Sure he looked a little awkward and nervous, but he wasn't ugly. If he cleaned himself up and got some more meat on his bones, he'd probably just as good looking as all the other lacrosse players in the school. He'd probably even get noticed but I knew something was holding him back. He didn't seem to notice that I was watching him as I slowly chewed on another piece of fruit. It picked at his lunch and took a few bites every now and then. I had even cocked my head to the side, simply admiring the boy everyone else had failed to notice. It was when he took a sip of his water, he saw my eyes still resting on him and a red blush erupted on his face.

"Do you play lacrosse?" I queried, deciding to stop staring and take a drink of my own water. He finished swallowing and then nodded once more.

"I—I guess you c—could say I d—do." He answered and gave me a look of false pride. I cocked up an eyebrow and grabbed a tater tot off my plate.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" I giggled, making him smile again.

"F—Finstock has me on the team as a b—back-up." He elaborated, shrugging his shoulder. "I—if someone l—like Scott McCall or J—Jackson Whitmore get hurt I g—go in f—for them."

I nodded in understanding, finishing the fried piece of potato. "Are you good?" Sheepishly, Isaac ducked his head and then shook it. I smacked my lips and flopped back in my chair. "Hey, come on, you can't be that bad."

"I w—would agree that I—I'm p—pretty bad." Isaac muttered back to me, bobbing his eyebrows and making me roll my eyes. I leaned forward and once again, my eyes fell on the purple bruise near the middle of Isaac's cheek.

"That's a nasty bruise." I commented, picking up my fork and gesturing towards it. Isaac jumped as I said the words and I didn't miss the way panic flittered across his face. I furrowed my brow slightly but didn't press any further. I cleared my throat and then flipped my hair out of my face. "I hope you don't mind me sitting with you today."

"N—no, I don't mind a—at all." Isaac quickly said, shaking his head. "I—I am just confused. W—why aren't you sitting w—with your f—friends?"

"You mean Lydia, right?" I asked, cocking up an eyebrow and Isaac gave me a puzzled look but it red cheeks said everything. "Everyone seems to think that I should spend every single second of the day with her just because she's the almighty Lydia Martin. In all truth, it's so exhausting."

I wasn't sure what made me start to reveal this all to Isaac but I felt somewhat comfortable with him. I didn't feel like he would judge about how I felt about Lydia. I also was sure he wouldn't bring up anything about werewolves because he didn't know. He was more oblivious than Allison and Lydia and it was like a breath of fresh air. I could talk to someone and not have to constantly hide the fact from them that I knew about werewolves and what was going on in this town. We were talking about lacrosse and my friends in the sense where it wasn't dealing with werewolves. We were making normal, small-talk, and it made air so much easier to breathe.

"W—what about S—Scott and Stiles?" Isaac inquired; his tense mood evaporating his he also felt the comfort in speaking to each other.

"They're stupidity gives me migraines. There's only so much Tylenol." I scoffed and Isaac chuckled lowly, the sound almost like music to my ears. Isaac seemed to be opening me up to feelings I'd never exactly wanted to feel before. I was actually caring about somebody and not sending them sarcastic remarks every second. He wasn't like Stiles. He was Isaac and I liked that. "Hm, it does laugh." I teased with a grin.

Isaac smiled up at me nervously but then it faltered. "W—why are you b—being so nice to m—me?"

I paused for a moment, slightly caught off-guard by his question. I pressed my tongue to the inside of my cheek before shrugging my shoulder. "You aren't like everyone else I've met here." I answered and I didn't miss the small crease that formed in between his eyebrows out of confusion. "You aren't pestering me about my home life or why I moved to Beacon Hills. You aren't asking me the questions that make me twitch or want to scream. You're…respectful. You understand boundaries."

Isaac narrowed his eyes but not dangerously. It was like something was clicking in his mind and his blue orbs sparkled with something unreadable. I stuck another piece of fruit in my mouth and then looked down at my tray, trying to hide the blush beginning to burn my cheeks.

* * *

I stuck the cookie in my mouth when I heard the ringtone from my phone in my backpack. I swung the bag around my shoulders, the bag now resting on my chest as I dug for the phone. I finally found it and then answered, shifting the backpack back to its previous position to avoid looking like an idiot on my way out to the lacrosse field.

"Hello?" I answered through a mouthful of cookie; crumbs spraying out from my lips as I struggled make sure it didn't all fall out of my mouth.

Andre sighed exasperatedly. _"Tessa, how many times have I told you to stop answering the phone with your food in your mouth?"_

I swallowed, rolling my eyes. "Stop calling when I'm eating then. You're the only person who does this, honestly." I argued and I heard a small growl emit from my sister.

 _"God, you're a pain in my ass sometimes."_ She muttered and I smirked triumphantly, glancing towards the empty lacrosse field. I showed up a little early alone because Lydia decided that hanging out with her other friends. Allison had given me an extra cookie on her way out of lunch and I was still left by myself. I was only showing up to practice because I wanted to make sure Scott wouldn't kill anybody if he got angry.

I hummed, trudging up the bleachers. "You still love me." I chirped and there was a beat of silence before Andre chuckled.

 _"Yes, I do still love you."_ She admitted and I grinned to myself. I took a seat on the very last bleachers and kicked my feet up, leaning against the guard rail behind me. _"I actually called you for a reason."_

"Hm, pray tell." I said calmly, letting my eyes scan across the scenery.

 _"I have really awesome news for us."_ Andre began excitedly over the phone. _"I've been searching for jobs absolutely everywhere and I asked Mrs. McCall across the street if she had any openings at the hospital and she said she'd look. So, she called me while I was on my lunch in between class and she said there was an opening for a caretaker for the disabled at the hospital. I went there just a few minutes ago and I got the job!"_

My eyes widened and a grin spread across my face. "Oh my God!" I gasped with a breathless laugh. "That—that's great!"

 _"I know!"_ Andre cheered back and I pumped a fist in the air, kicking one foot in a silent celebration. _"You wanna know what the weirdest thing about this is?"_

"How can this be weird?" I asked her, still excited.

 _"Well, the, uh, guy I'm gonna be taking care of he's a burn victim, right? And…believe it or not, his name is Peter Hale."_

Suddenly, my heart dropped all the way to the bottom of my stomach. My cheerful mood was sucked out of me like a vacuum cleaner had been shoved down my throat. It felt like a cold breeze had just blasted across my skin and it made my blood freeze up like ice. I nearly shuddered and then let my eyes fall shut, swallowing and trying to take a breath to respond back to my sister. I literally couldn't believe my luck. I thought I had finally kept Andre out of everything but I was wrong. She was now the caretaker of a Hale who just happened to be a werewolf. Derek had forgotten to mention that he still had a family member alive.

"Wow," I finally answered in a strained tone. "That's weird."

 _"You sound more freaked out than me."_ Andre chuckled innocently, clearing not aware that I was freaking terrified at this point. Just to add on with the stress from my day…

"I'm just surprised. I was not expecting that." I replied, trying to force out a chuckle and opened my eyes. I heard voices in the distance and saw that boys from the lacrosse team were starting to come out of the school. "Hey, I'll see you later, alright?"

 _"Wait, do you need a ride home?"_ Andre asked quickly, slightly confused that I wanted to abruptly leave the phone call.

"No, no, I'll, uh, get a ride home from Stiles or Lydia."

 _"Well, okay, bye."_

"Bye."

I slammed my thumb down on the end button and then nearly tumbled off of the bleachers. I jumped down from the top and then shoved through the other lacrosse players, trying to find the familiar numbers 11 and 24. I briefly bypassed Jackson who gave me a death glare as I went but I simply ignored him, too freaked out to care. I couldn't find Scott and I was hoping that Stiles would be here. Then, as if the God's had shined a spotlight on him, the spastic boy came out through the doors, shifting his stuff as he ran to catch up with the team. With a sigh of relief, I ran through the rest of the lacrosse team and when Stiles saw me, his face lit up like a damn Christmas tree.

"Tessa, oh my—you're never going to believe this!" He excitedly said, coming to a stop in front of me. He looked happier than I'd ever seen him in my whole life. "I made first line and—and Scott's co-captain!"

All thoughts of telling Stiles about Andre evaporated and I smiled at him happily. "That's amazing! I'm so happy for you." I told him honestly and reached forward. We exchanged a hug and I stepped backwards, seeing the pure joy swirling in his eyes. I couldn't ruin his mood. I just couldn't freaking do it. Plus, he seemed to have a lot on his plate and I didn't want to add more on to it.

"Hey, so what'd you come to me for?" He asked, taking a breath and then beginning to venture towards the field. I cleared my throat and then shrugged my shoulders, rubbing the back of my neck.

"I was, uh, wondering if you'd seen Lydia." I answered, nodding my head slowly and pressing my lips tightly together.

"Oh, well, that's easy." Stiles scoffed, sounding more than pleased. Confused, I looked at him, stopping as we got back to the bleachers. "She's talking to Scott."

"And why is she talking to Scott?" I asked suspiciously, crossing my arms over my chest and raising my eyebrows.

Stiles bounced on his toes. "He's doing me a really, really big favor." He answered and I gave him an expectant look. "He's asking Lydia about me."

"Care to elaborate?" I sighed in irritation, sagging my shoulders.

"He's asking her if she likes me." Stiles said with a childish grin and then he hurried off to go sit on the bench. I watched as he left, a pit forming in my stomach from an unknown cause. I locked my jaw and then stared forward, trying to process exactly what he had said. Finally, I nodded curtly and went to go sit back down on the bleachers.

It was only a few seconds later that Scott came out of the building. I watched him closely as he came out, a smug look on his face. I cocked my head to the side and apparently, he'd noticed my eyes on him because he looked in my direction. There was something off about him but I couldn't put my finger on it. Instead, I waved curtly and he waved back with a wave of arrogance I'd never seen on him before. I expected him to go take a seat back down by Stiles but instead, he made a detour. He hopped up on the bleachers expertly what with his werewolf abilities and I glanced around awkwardly, shifting when I realized that this wasn't normal in any way shape or form. Sure, it'd be different if he wasn't acting so cocky.

"Hey, what's up, Scott?" I greeted with a nervous grin. He smirked and then tipped his chin up at me as a greeting. I glanced down at saw Stiles narrowing his eyes at the two of us, his mouth hanging open in confusion. I shrugged my shoulders and then looked back at the werewolf in front of me. "What are you doing?"

"I thought I should talk to you." Scott answered, his voice low and rough like he was trying to somewhat be seductive. Chills ran down my spine and I twitched in my seat. He had never acted like this before much less around me.

"Talk to me about what?" I inquired, raising an eyebrow as I tried to keep up my calm and collected act. Scott took a seat beside me and then leaned in closer than I appreciated at the moment. I leaned back slightly, my eyes trying to scan his face for an explanation as to why he was acting like this.

"I'm sure Stiles told you." Scott mentioned, nodding his head down to his friend whose eyes hadn't left us the entire time. "I talked to Lydia about him."

"Yeah, where is she?" I tried changing the subject, breaking eye contact with him and looking around towards the school. When Scott didn't answer, I returned my attention back to him and he'd gotten just a few centimeters closer. "Scott?"

"I know how you feel about Stiles." Scott rasped icily and my eyes nearly popped out of my head. I scoffed and then shook my head.

"What the hell are you talking about? What is going on?" I demanded, starting to get more than upset with him.

"Come on, Tessa. Don't think I haven't noticed how you've acted around him since the first day you met him." Scott snorted bitterly but he still held the smirk. Unable to find the words to argue, I simply narrowed my eyes. "You want Stiles to be more than friends. And I heard your heartbeat when you were sitting with Isaac today."

"Scott, just stop talking." I grunted, looking away from him and trying to scoot away but Scott's hand shot out, grabbing my wrist tightly. "Let go."

"You like Stiles." Scott spat, his voice becoming more vicious as I struggled against his clutch. "And you like Isaac. But Isaac is your distraction."

"Scott, please, just stop." I begged, trying not to gather attention to us but I knew Stiles was still watching. I wasn't sure why he hadn't come up here yet but I secretly wanted him to. Scott was much stronger than I anticipated.

"Go for Isaac. Don't bother going for Stiles." Scott warned, shaking his head and I gave him a questionable glare. "He's been in love with Lydia since the third grade. You think he's just going to suddenly like you?"

I tried to restrain myself but my arm moved on its own accord. Severely pissed off, I managed to collide the back of my hand with Scott's cheek. There was a loud slap but no one paid attention to us. I glanced down to see that even Stiles wasn't paying attention anymore. He was talking to someone on the team which made me scowl.

"Scott, this isn't you." I muttered, looking back at the boy who was recovering from my blow. "This is the full moon. You aren't thinking straight."

"I'm just saying the truth." Scott justified, still not backing down and his grip got intensely tighter on my wrist. "You just don't like hearing it."

"I don't like Stiles." I snapped, looking him straight in the eyes and not blinking once. "Isaac is a friend and you are being an asshole. Just because the moon is full doesn't mean you can automatically be a dick. Get a hold of yourself, McCall."

"Besides, Lydia's totally into Stiles." Scott then said calmly, shrugging his shoulder. He released my wrist, seeing that I had become stunned by the words. He gave me a cocky smirk before getting up and running down the bleachers. I watched him go, the breath being sucked out of me once more. I sniffled but I wasn't crying. I wasn't that pathetic but there was something off about what Scott had just told me. That…couldn't be right. Lydia hardly even knew who Stiles was let alone like him. Of course I'd love it if Stiles was finally happy with her but it didn't make sense at this point.

As practice began to start, I didn't miss the way Stiles threw his hands up in the air like a child with a grin on his face. I decided to take a seat on the very last bleacher, worried about Scott and his current behavior. He'd already gotten somewhat violent with me and I couldn't imagine what lacrosse would be like. Plus, I knew Jackson was severely pissed off which meant he could easily manipulate Scott and make things go so far downhill you wouldn't even be able to see anymore. I also got the feeling that Jackson knew a lot more than he was letting on but decided not to question it at the moment. That was a problem we would deal with if it confronted us. I guess the same went for Andre. I'd still had to talk to Derek about it and get the scoop on his relative inside the care taking unit at the hospital but I doubted I'd be seeing him anytime soon.

I watched as Scott's turn came up and I wrapped my hands around my torso, my legs bouncing wildly on my toes while I chewed on my lip in anticipation. Luckily, I was one of the few people who showed up to practice so that meant no one was going to question the amount of nerves I was probably radiating off my body. Besides, I felt like I'd start rambling to some random person if they asked me what was wrong. There were so many things going through my head that dealt with the supernatural that I could barely find the line between real life and the supernatural one. There was barely anything that helped me distinguish between the two and it was starting to freak me out.

The whistle blew and Finstock ordered Scott to go. The beta werewolf ran full speed but not fast enough towards the guards and was immediately thrown down by the lacrosse sticks. I froze my jittery manner for a second and paused with confusion. It was not what I had been expecting but might as well just take it for what it was. Sadly, I knew that this probably meant Scott was going to get really angry, really quick and I was praying that Stiles had already come up with a plan in case this happened. Of course, I didn't firmly believe that he didn't because would Stiles really think that far ahead? And just to top it all off, I could hear the dark, evil cackle of Finstock and exchanged some choice words to the boy lying on the ground. I groaned and then put my hands over my eyes. I peeked in between my fingers and waited for the next person to go. Instead, when Finstock blew the whistle, Scott flipped up from the ground flawlessly which probably meant he was using his werewolf abilities which made my stomach flip. He started storming back towards the line and as soon as Stiles went to go, a lacrosse stick was slammed against his chest in a way I knew probably hurt less than it looked. Scott ready to go again and I held my breath, still looking through my fingers.

Scott went again but this time, everything was different. It was like he'd suddenly become an entirely new lacrosse player and it scared the shit out of me. Scott sprinted forward, much faster than he'd gone before, and nearly targeted every single guard on that field. He raced towards one, dipping down and shoving his shoulder directly into their chest. That guard went flying to the ground with a thud and I grimaced, feeling sympathy for the unknown player. I just silently hoped that Isaac wasn't out there. Scott barreled on; colliding with the next guard who was expertly taken down by my friend except this one went over Scott's back and toppled to the floor. Then, as he approached the goal, the largest hit was given to the goalie which just happened to be Danny and it was a lacrosse stick directly to his face. His was the worst and it made me gasp, shooting up from my seat and not even noticing that Scott had made the goal. While the other guards were recovering from their hits, Danny was nearly motionless. I grabbed my backpack and slung it over my shoulder quickly.

"No, no, no," I muttered to myself, running towards the goal. Other lacrosse players had gathered around the goalie but Scott was off to the side, not a single falter in his step or a look of guilt on his face. Instead of going to inspect the boy, I approached Scott, glaring at him as I strutted towards him. "What the hell is wrong with you?" I snapped, lightly pushing him in the chest to get his attention. I was sick and tired of his bullshit and I'd only dealt with it for a span of an hour.

"Dude what the hell are you doin'?" Stiles protested as he came over to stand with us, his eyes on his best friend.

"What? He's twice the size of me." Scott defended, gesturing back to Danny.

"Yeah, but everybody likes Danny." Stiles argued back as a paramedic entered the field to oversee Danny's injuries. "Tessa likes Danny and Tessa doesn't like anybody."

"Really, right now, Stiles?" I hissed, shaking my head and giving the boy a sarcastic smile in which he returned with a cheesy grin before looking back at Scott.

"Now everybody's gonna hate you." Stiles finished a sort of defeated look on his face while Scott didn't even flinch.

"I don't care." Scott scoffed; making a face and making me run my tongue over my teeth angrily, nodding my head.

"You know what, fuck you, Scott." I snapped, shaking my head. His head instantly whipped in my direction and his eyes narrowed.

"What did you say?" Scott nearly growled but I didn't back down, stepping closer to him with no fear whatsoever.

"I said, _fuck you_." I repeated once more and it was then a real growl came from his throat and his eyes turned their shiny amber color.

"Whoa, Tessa, hey." Stiles muttered, wrapping an arm around my shoulders and lightly tugging me away from the very angry werewolf.

"You are really starting to piss me off, Scott. I don't know what makes you think you're some big hot shot lacrosse player because you're not." I barked but not loud enough to gather everyone else's attention. "At this point, I like Jackson more than you. At least Jackson doesn't use his werewolf powers to hurt his friends."

As if it would get through to him what he was doing wrong, I lifted up the wrist he had grabbed earlier. A dark bruise had begun to make a hand print on the skin and I heard Stiles make a noise in the back of his throat. Scott just stared at the bruise and then shrugged his shoulders, this action really hitting home. I gritted my teeth and then almost fell limp in Stiles's arms, trying to glare at him but it was like the anger had faded away and hurt had settled in on me like a freaking brick on my chest.

"Your lipstick," I heard from the crowd of people and looked away from Scott, turning my attention over his shoulder. It was Jackson to Lydia who'd miraculously showed up to practice and I narrowed my own eyes at the two. I pushed off of Stiles and got closer to the group, curious to know what was happening.

"What?" Lydia inquired breathlessly and then pulled out her compact mirror. It was true, her lipstick was smudged and if anyone knew Lydia Martin, they knew that her makeup was flawless 24/7. She never let it look like that in public. "Oh," She gasped innocently, beginning to wipe the smudge from her lip. "Oh, I wonder how that happened."

"Yeah," Jackson replied tonelessly but with slight suspicion. "I wonder." Lydia then looked up at him with a nervous look and it was then I suddenly realized what had happened.

Without realizing Stiles had followed me, I saw the boy slowly turning around to face me, his mouth hung open like he'd just seen something bloody and it was would have been the equivalent. It seemed that we had both pieced together the situation and it all came clear as to why Lydia's lipstick was smudged on her face, why Scott had been so smug, and why Scott had told Stiles that Lydia liked him. It was because Lydia and Scott…kissed.

* * *

 **AN: Now I know this isn't usual of me but I felt that this episode deserved three chapters. I really enjoyed writing all of these and even added some plot twists like Isaac and Peter. I wasn't intentionally planning on either but I think it makes the story more interesting. Now, I know what you're all thinking. This is a Stiles/OC fan fiction so why are you making Tessa like Isaac? Well, that helps with not letting the relationship fall so easily on Stiles and Tessa. Stiles doesn't think Tessa likes him and he's so hopelessly in love with Lydia at this point. Isaac kind of just showed up in Tessa's life and because he isn't hopelessly in love with anyone and he's nice to her, her eyes start opening to those feelings of love for other people which will eventually help her with her feelings for Stiles because she doesn't completely understand them right now.**


	20. Chapter 20

I could see it in his eyes. I knew what he was feeling, I had been there before. I knew the unbearable pain slowly captivating your entire chest. It was like someone was pushing down on your ribcage and smashing it into a thousand tiny little pieces. I knew what it was like to feel betrayed and destroyed by your very best friend—the person you never expected to leave your side or do something so wrong, you felt like you couldn't forgive them. Sure, I had been the one in the wrong, but feeling crushed by your other half was like losing the love of your life or worse, a parent. Stiles and I were mere duplicates of each other at his point. We'd lost a parent—learning this information while spending time around them—and we'd also felt like we'd lost our best friend.

I wouldn't consider Stiles over-reacting at this point. Stiles was in love with Lydia. I saw it in his eyes every time he spoke about her—the strawberry blonde locks, emerald green eyes, gorgeous white skin, and attractive brains. His body language changed and he became more passionate when he explained all of her beauty. Truthfully, it was the way I wanted someone to talk about me. I'd never been one to be the romantic type but if only Lydia understood how much Stiles loved her, she would be amazed. Sadly, her mind wasn't in the right place at this point in time. She was clouded by popularity and judgment of her peers beyond Allison and I. She would never seek Stiles as an option even if he was the only boy in the room and it literally crushed me to know this. Stiles mused about how he had a ten-year plan. He had a plan to make Lydia fall as much in love with him as much as he was with her and it was truly inspiring. I knew that deep down without any question on not admitting it to anyone in my whole life; I would pick Stiles even if there were a million lacrosse players in the room. I would pick him.

Aside from Stiles, there was someone else I couldn't quite get off my mind and it may or may not be for the same reason. It was clear as to why no one really noticed Isaac Lahey. He was quiet and didn't speak unless spoken to which could be a lesson for some other people at this school. If he did talk to you, he was anything but rude. His voice was calming, low and soft like a voice you only heard in your dreams. I could close my eyes and fall asleep just by him speaking. Minus the stutter, it was flawless speech and anyone could pay to just listen to him. He was tentative, afraid almost, and it made me even more intrigued in the quiet lacrosse player. His dark bruise on his cheek came to mind and I was more than curious to figure out where he'd gotten that from. Maybe it was from lacrosse but they wore helmets that protected their faces and I'd seen Jackson, who didn't have supernatural healing powers, get hit in the face but there was never a bruise. Plus, Isaac had nearly panicked when I mentioned it. That all just didn't add up.

Forgetting about my internal issues, I focused on what was happening around me. I was fighting myself on whom to console and who to scream at. I wanted to scream to the high heavens about how stupid Lydia and Scott were. Then, I wanted to try and do everything in my power to get the devastated look off of Stiles's face because it didn't suit him. He was cheery, sarcastic, relaxed Stiles. This wasn't him and this was my friend's faults. God, I couldn't even imagine how this would affect Allison. It was like Lydia had suddenly gotten the vibe from me and the redhead rushed over to me. Her hand clamped around my forearm and she jerked me away from Scott and Stiles, neither of them even realizing that I was being taken from them. I nearly tripped over my own feet and then whipped my head around to glare at Lydia.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" I growled, keeping my voice low but still dangerous to the point where Lydia nervously gulped. Her eyes looked everywhere besides my face and she released my arm, fiddling with the cuffs of her jacket. "Lydia, answer me. _Now_." I ordered once more, raising my tone slightly.

"I don't know!" She squeaked pathetically. She took a deep breath, shutting her eyes before shaking her head. "I—I don't know what got in to me."

"Yes you do." I argued, giving her an expectant look as I crossed my arms over my chest. "You never just do something because you feel like it. You always have a reason."

"Damn you and your attention to detail." Lydia huffed, shooting an irritated glare at me before flipping her hair out of her face. "It's a real inconvenience."

"You're stalling. Quit." I felt like a parent scolding a child and Lydia hated it. I could feel her green eyes blazing with fire and they burned a hole straight through my forehead but I didn't even flinch. That's when she knew that I was dead serious and she became much more defensive in her stance, confidently glancing over my shoulder.

"I heard that Scott was going to make co-captain." Lydia stated, whipping strawberry locks around slowly while pressing her pink lips together. "Jackson's been showing a lack of affection towards me and I was deprived."

"So you kissed Scott?" I asked incredulously, raising my eyebrows and letting a breathless laugh burble out of my throat. By this time, the team had already begun to start practice again and Lydia had dragged me off of the field. "Lydia, this isn't some world where you can do whatever you want when you want. Allison and Scott just broke up. You have a boyfriend. Scott is Stiles's best friend who, hello, has had a crush on you since the third freaking grade. Where does kissing Scott sound like a good idea?"

"You don't understand." Lydia hissed, stepping forward and nearly getting in my face. "You don't have a boyfriend that barely looks you in the eyes when you talk. You don't have a boyfriend who kisses you without a hint of emotion. You don't know what it feels like to not feel loved anymore, Tessa."

"I do, actually." I argued, trying to hold up my defensive stance. "My mother left me without a single goodbye. I was raised to grow the fuck up and quit crying over things that were in the past. I didn't get bedtime stories read to me before I went to sleep. I didn't get hugged or kissed before I went to school. I didn't hear the words "I love you" come from my parent's mouths because that was frowned upon in my household. I never had a boyfriend because no one dared love a girl who was broken as the tile beneath their feet. So before you try to tell me I don't know how it feels, try again."

Lydia's entire mood had shifted like she'd turned into an entirely new person. Her eyes weren't trying to burn me anymore; they were glazed over like glass. Her confident stance was shaken, her knees bent slightly and her shoulders sagging as if there were weights on her fragile shoulders. Her pink lips were parted slightly, quiet pants coming out of them as she comprehended what I had just told her. Normally, I would be completely embarrassed that I let this out but I'd already said enough that night at the school. And suddenly, I remembered what Jackson had said for me. I was fighting Stiles's battles. I was putting myself in the position to protect Stiles and I couldn't help but think that maybe Stiles hated that I was constantly defending him like I was his mother. Girls' sticking up for boys was embarrassing on their ends in our century. I could potentially be making this worse for Stiles. Still, I could counter with the fact that this involved Allison and she was my best friend. Nonetheless, there was still the inevitable reality that Stiles was also involved too.

"Tessa," Lydia calmly breathed out yet there was still a slight edge to her voice. "I love Jackson. And I can't help but think that suddenly, he doesn't love me anymore."

I stared down at Lydia, trying to control my emotions. I knew she was hurting and I knew I needed to do something but I couldn't. She'd done something bad—something that could divide the friendship between us and Allison for as long as we were in high school. She'd something that would divide the most important friendship forever. I couldn't imagine a world where Scott and Stiles weren't friends. I tried not to be so conflicted myself but I was friends with them all, I never had to choose which one to be friends and I never wanted it to be that way. I didn't want to choose between Allison and Lydia or Scott and Stiles. I wanted them all to be my friends. I cared about them all and I knew that if I chose on or the other, either way someone would end up hating me.

"You have to tell Allison." I muttered, shaking my head and looking away from her. Although slightly disappointed that I didn't pay mind to her thoughts on Jackson, she knew what needed to be done. "She has to know."

"Yeah," Lydia answered, biting down on her bottom lip with insecurity. Her fists were balled at her sides as she swayed slowly on her feet. She dropped her eyes away from my face and she stared down at the grass beneath our shoes. She was thinking and I let her do so, staying quiet. "I'm sorry." She whispered and I swallowed thickly, running my tongue over my top lip.

"You shouldn't be apologizing to me." I informed my friend, shaking my head and beginning to back away towards the bleachers. I would probably need Andre to pick me up from school now. Lydia lifted her head up and I expected her to look confused but instead, she looked so guilty, it hurt. It was slowly eating her alive, filling her eyes up and changing her body language.

As I hurried around the edge of the field, I turned my head and met a pair of distraught brown eyes through a mask. Then, my eyes met a pair of emotionless and somewhat smug brown eyes. One made my heart clench and the other made me almost sick. I knew this wasn't Scott. It was some side-effects of the full moon but I couldn't help but want to punch him so hard in the face, werewolf powers wouldn't be able to heal him. The words he'd said to me about Isaac and Stiles still wafted in my mind like a bad smell. He said he could hear my heartbeat when I was with Isaac at lunch. He said that Isaac was my distraction and that I should go for him instead of Stiles. He had tried to fool me into believing that Lydia liked Stiles just so I became hurt and upset. I wasn't sure what exactly he was trying to achieve by telling me all those things but I knew one thing. I didn't like Stiles in the sense of dating. Even if I did, I'd have no chance in hell. His heart was attached to Lydia and would never let that love go until he died. Sure it sounded a little bit dramatic but in a way, it wasn't. It was more truth than anything.

* * *

I could feel my eyes becoming heavy and my body was losing its posture. My fist was slowly moving out from beneath my head and a relaxed breath exhaled from my nose. As my elbow slid from its spot next to my notebook, I didn't even have a chance to react before my head smacked on my desk. It shook my lamp and picture frame violently as I let out a gasp of surprised pain. I groaned, rubbing my forehead and blinking forcefully to now stay awake.

I was still trying to do homework. The sun was going down, the moon would be up in less than an hour, and I was doing homework. I could barely focus on mathematics and waited for Stiles to call me. He said he would before I left lacrosse practice which meant he did need my help. I wasn't sure what made him change his mind but I wasn't going to argue. I was starting to get nervous. What if Stiles wouldn't call? What if he tried to handle Scott by himself while emotionally unstable and Scott hurt him? I wouldn't be able to freaking live with myself if something happened to Stiles. And if he made it out alive, I'd never be able to look him in the eyes without thinking that I could have stopped it.

As time passed, I had a harder time of convincing myself that Scott was wrong. I didn't like Stiles. I wasn't jealous of Lydia because Stiles liked her in such a passionate way. Isaac wasn't my distraction from Stiles. That made me look like a horrible person but it wouldn't be bad if I did think Isaac was cute and sweet. Still, I didn't want to face the reality of me having romantic feelings for someone. I'd never been like that before so how would I know? Maybe it was just me wanting to really be friends with Isaac, not run my fingers through his adorable curls and kiss the lips that spoke such soft words.

I groaned once more but not out of pain. I groaned out of frustration. I dropped my head in my hands, exhaling deeply before letting my eyes fall shut. Sure there was going to probably be a bruise on my forehead but that wasn't the cause of the now pounding headache. Thinking about Stiles and Isaac made my brain physically exhausted and I just didn't want to think anymore but I knew that my night wasn't over. I couldn't go to sleep unless Stiles called me. I wouldn't be able to sleep for the whole night. I doubted it. I'd be too freaking worried and without the help of Derek, we needed to try as hard as we possibly could to make sure Scott didn't get away from us.

"That was embarrassing."

"Holy shit!"

I nearly shot straight up out of my chair and smacked my head on the ceiling. Instead, I tumbled down to the floor, the air being knocked out of my chest upon the fall. I whipped my head up, my hair flying wildly, and met a pair of distant green eyes. Instantly, my own narrowed into angry slits and I shoved myself gracelessly off the floor. I wiped myself off before storming over to Derek and shoving him backwards into my closet door without a moment of hesitation.

"What the hell do you think you're doing here?" I snapped, making sure to keep my voice down to avoid Andre suspecting anything. There would be hell if she saw an alleged murderer in my bedroom. "I thought you didn't want to help?"

"It's not that I never wanted to. It was because I couldn't. I figured your tiny little mind would understand that." Derek argued back mercilessly, gritting his teeth and jutting out his head. I rolled my eyes and huffed, taking a step backwards.

"How long have you been here?" I demanded, placing my hand on my hip and gesturing out to my room behind me.

Derek sighed and then shifted his stance, coming up off my closet door and walking around me. He shut my bedroom door, checking the hallway to make sure Andre wasn't upstairs, and then turned back around to face me. "I got in a few hours ago."

My eyes widened and I spun around quickly to face. "Wha—a few hours ago?" I hissed fearfully, my hand dropping off my hip. "Derek, you cannot come into my house whenever you feel like it. Andre could see you."

"She wouldn't." Derek countered calmly, shrugging his shoulder. Confused, I furrowed my brow and he took a seat in my desk chair like he had last time. "She's always downstairs and I'm pretty sure she's going to go deaf from how high up the volume is on the TV."

I huffed out of frustration and ran a hand through my hair. "Look, the point is, I can't have you just creepily sneaking into my bedroom. Someone else could see you."

"You mean Scott?" Derek asked and I paused before nodding slowly.

"Yes, I mean Scott." I agreed, chewing on the inside of my cheek and crossing my arms over my chest. "His senses are on overload today. He's more aware."

"He isn't home." Derek said calmly and I cocked up an eyebrow.

"What do you mean? Where the hell is he?"

"He's still a teenager you know." Derek taunted with a small smirk. "He has a job."

I visibly grimaced, the topic being obvious. "He works at the clinic tonight. No wonder Stiles hasn't called me…"

"I need you to be careful tonight." Derek then said and it caught me off guard. Derek had never been typically the one to say things like this so when he did, I frowned and then gave him a befuddled look. His face was expressionless, like the words had just mechanically come out. I stared him down before swallowing thickly.

"I don't want to hear you say anything about tonight." I bit out angrily and turned my back on him, closing the curtain that had been left open. "You do understand that if anyone gets hurt, it's on you, right?"

"How is it on me? I didn't bite Scott."

"But you said you would help him." I defended, snapping my head over my shoulder and glaring at him. "I don't see you making any efforts to help him tonight."

"I could get arrested." Derek disputed, getting up from my chair. "And then I'd go to prison and never be able to help Scott. You'd be left to fight the alpha alone."

"And this isn't leaving us alone, Derek? You hiding away in some mysterious hole and giving me the burden of knowing your alive while my friends wonder what the hell happened to you." I walked around my bed to stand in front of him. "Apparently you've decided to not tell us shit about your life. My sister is now the caretaker for a man by the name of Peter Hale at our local hospital. Care to explain?"

Derek was stunned except you wouldn't have been able to tell unless you were looking directly into his eyes. He'd gone ridged and I swore he stopped breathing. What terrified the most was that he panicked for a moment, like this was much worse than I anticipated but as fast as it had come, it left. We were in an intense staring contest before Derek rolled his shoulders and looked down at me.

"Peter is my uncle." He told me bluntly. "Not everyone died in the fire. Laura survived but she was killed by the alpha weeks ago. Peter was left with severe burns on the side of his face and the doctors tell me he's in some sort of coma. He hasn't spoken a word in years and he won't heal."

I exhaled deeply before looking down at the floor. "Why didn't you mention anything to us?"

"Why didn't you say anything to your friends about your family?"

I shrugged. "I don't like talking about it. Besides, it doesn't matter."

"Exactly." Derek pointed out and I realized exactly what he meant. "You only found out by chance."

"Why do you keep coming here? You say that it's because you don't want to kill me and that's great but…aren't there other places you could go?"

I expected Derek to make some sarcastic remark about wanting to kill me now or just avoid the question in general. Maybe he'd even make up some lame excuse because he'd been doing that a lot lately. I wasn't sure where I was at with Derek. I wanted to trust him, I wanted to firmly believe that he was the good guy, but he was far too evasive and secretive to trust him and I didn't think he minded it being that way. Nonetheless, I knew he didn't kill his sister, the alpha had done that. Derek didn't try to kill us in the school; the alpha had done that too. It was like the alpha was trying to get Derek arrested and out of the picture because Derek had been one of the only people helping us and trying not to let us become alpha dinner. I assumed the alpha didn't like that and he needed to get Derek away from us so he could get to Scott. Derek would be the one to stop Scott from killing his pack—Stiles, Allison, Lydia, Jackson, and I—and that would put a kink in the alpha's plans. It all made sense to me.

"No." Derek finally answered and I almost didn't hear him. I had been so deep in thought. I'd barely been paying attention to the world around me. So, when he answered, I blinked and looked back down at him.

"No; what?" I inquired, letting a small crease form in between my eyebrows. I felt slightly stupid for asking the question but I wasn't exactly clear on what he was saying.

"No, I don't have anywhere else to go." Derek grunted, frustrated that he had to repeat himself. I felt a large lump grow in my throat just at the stern look on his face. Sure, he looked tough and completely composed but his eyes said an entirely different story. He killed him to have to think about his life this way. "The police are probably staked out at the house. My entire family is dead. And for some reason, I feel like you're the only person who hasn't tried to throw me in jail."

I stared at him for a moment, silent and thoughtful before I swallowed. "Derek, I don't trust you, let's just get that straight, but I know that your intentions are— _were_ good." I corrected myself and I swore I saw Derek grimace. "You don't want to hurt us. You aren't like the alpha. To be completely honest, I don't see why there isn't a reason to trust you but I can't help but feel like there is something more than what meets the eye."

"And you think I trust you?" Derek asked, cocking up a dark eyebrow and I shook my head quickly.

"No." I answered, rolling my shoulders. "I don't expect you to either. We just understand that you're the only person that can help us and if that means we'd have to trust you, then we would. But right now, I don't trust you because if you really, truly cared about the lives of three innocent teenagers, you would risk getting caught by the police and help us tonight."

Derek didn't hesitate to nod in understanding. And as silently as he had come in, he left. He brushed passed me and made his way over to my window. I didn't watch him leave, simply staring forward as reality hit me once more. Derek didn't want to help. He didn't care about our lives so I let him leave. I bit down on the inside of my cheek and resisted the urge to scream at him. I dropped my chin down to my chest and let my eyes fall shut as I heard him jump out of my window. He even had the decency to shut the window behind him and once I was sure he was gone, I opened back up my eyes.

I sucked in a deep breath through my nose and was about to return back to my homework when there was a knock on the door downstairs. Confused yet still slightly worried considering circumstances, I rushed out of my bedroom and came around the corner down the stairs. Andre had already gotten to the door and opened it. She was covering whoever was standing there but as I slowly came down the steps, the person on the other side seemed to notice that I had arrived.

"Tessa, hey," Stiles greeted nervously, bouncing on his toes as he shot a curt wave at me. He had stepped off to the side so I could see him and Andre gave me a confused look over her shoulder. I ignored it and came forward, wrapping my arms around my torso.

"Stiles, what—what are you doing here?" I asked, trying to play off an act for Andre. I didn't want her to raise suspicion or ask questions. To avoid that, I let Andre know that I was okay and that she could go back to watching TV like Derek had said. "Seriously, what are you doing here?" I hissed when Andre was out of earshot.

"I know I didn't call first but we're running out of time." Stiles explained quickly, his hands fidgeting with each other in front of him. "I still have to go to the store and if you want to come with me, we need to go now."

I blinked, caught off guard by his urgency and then nodded my head quickly. "O—Okay. Uh, come on." I reached out and grabbed him by the wrist. I jerked him inside and he nearly tripped over his own feet. I slammed the door shut behind him and I heard him squeak slightly out of fright. I let go and then placed my hands on his chest. "Stay here. Don't move and if Andre asks tell her we're going to see a movie."

"Isn't that pretty cliché?" Stiles counted with a grimace.

"Do you think she really cares?"

"If she's been on edge as much as my dad, then yes." Stiles scoffed, jerking his head in a defiant nod that made me roll my eyes. "How do you know she'll just let you suddenly leave?"

"You're the sheriff's son. I'm pretty sure she approves of you the most." I snorted, shrugging my shoulder and starting to make my way up the stairs.

"Wha—are you being serious?" Stiles stammered and I looked at him over my shoulder with a frustrated expression.

"Yes, I'm being serious." I answered and started again but he stopped me once more.

"What about Allison? She's more responsible than me." Stiles protested, placing a hand on his chest and shaking his head. I sighed and then pinched the bridge of my nose, running my tongue over my teeth.

"Would you prefer she doesn't trust you and doesn't let me go with you tonight?" I asked rhetorically but Stiles didn't catch on to that.

"Well, I mean, that'd make it easier on my part to keep you from going…"

"I'm literally going to punch you so hard in the face; your moles are going to fly off." I threatened and Stiles's eyes widened with fear.

"Alright, Derek, go get ready." He taunted but kept his distance from me. I shot him a death glare before racing up my stairs. I sprinted into my bedroom, shoving on shoes and throwing a hoodie over my head. I didn't even bother with my hair, running my fingers through it as I grabbed my cellphone. I tossed my hood over my head and then rushed down the stairs.

"Hey, Stiles wants me to go see a movie." I said to Andre, stepping in front of the TV. "And he heard that they're giving out free curly fries to groups of two who show up after midnight so I thought we'd stick around to that."

Tiredly, Andre turned her head up to look at me. "Tessa, it's pretty late and with Derek running around…"

"Don't worry." I assured her calmly, crouching down to sit in front of her. "I promise you that we will be just fine. I'm with Stiles and his dad is the sheriff."

"And that's supposed to make me feel better?" Andre asked seriously, rising up an eyebrow. I heard Stiles scoff from behind us and Andre frowned, sitting up.

"I am like the most responsible person…ever." Stiles tried to justify, putting his fingers against his chest and making a face.

"Stiles, how am I supposed to believe that when you barely believe it yourself?" Andre asked him and he nearly exploded with embarrassment. His entire face turned a bright shade of red and stammered, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "That's what I thought."  
"You are just about as nice as Tessa." Stiles accused, shooting a glare at my sister but kept it safe enough to show some respect to my sister. "I see where she gets it from."

"Hm, I'm secretly convinced that I'm related to Hades." I suggested, shrugging my shoulder and standing up from my crouched position. Stiles gave me an extremely confused look. "What? You would agree?"

Stiles looked like he was about to argue but then sighed, rolling his shoulders. "Eh, probably…"

"Okay, as much as I love watching you squirm, I'm kind of in the middle of a very intense marathon." Andre interjected, waving her hands in the direction of the TV. "You can go but you must never be by yourself, got it?"

"Of course," I assured her nodding my head and then Andre whipped her gaze around to stare at Stiles who uncomfortably twitched underneath her eyes.

"And you,"—her tone had gone from exasperated to dangerous in seconds—"if you let anything happen to my baby sister, I will make sure that you never get to see the sunlight of tomorrow."

Stiles eyes widened to the size of saucers and his mouth hung open in shock. I could see the red color slowly creeping its way up his neck and back into his cheeks. Then, he frantically began to nod like his life depended on it…ironically. "I—I understand, Mrs. Bradley."

"Oh good God, don't call me that." Andre groaned, slapping a palm to her forehead. "That makes me sound like my mother and it isn't a compliment." Stiles shot me a slightly concerned glance but I shrugged it off. "Call me Andre, alright? You keep showing up here we might as well."

Stiles exhaled deeply, his mouth going in the shape of an 'o' before shoving his hands in the sleeves of his pockets. "Okay, well, we better get going, Tessa. We might miss the movie and that would be catastrophic."

With Stiles's use of words, I shot him a warning glare. I really did not need him hinting anything to my sister much less badly hinting things to me. To avoid anything, I said my goodbyes and then followed Stiles out of my house. We nearly sprinted to the Jeep, knowing we were out of sight of Andre, and he helped me into the passenger side of the Jeep before climbing into the driver's seat. It was then we sped off into the night, my house and Scott's disappearing into the darkness what with the broken street light.

"Okay, Scott isn't home. He has work at the clinic till later so we have enough time to get the stuff and then go back to his house to set it up because I can almost guarantee that he isn't going to like we we're going to have to do tonight."

"I don't care."

"Yeah—wait, what?" I looked like a child who'd just gotten slapped in the face and I blinked, my mouth hanging open slightly. I looked towards Stiles whose entire expression had changed since we were inside the house. His long fingers gripped the steering wheel, his knuckles turning white as his bones strained against the skin. His leg wasn't even bouncing in the typical jittery way which made me much more concerned.

Stiles swallowed thickly and ran his tongue over his bottom lip. "He deserves what he's got coming to him."

Slightly put off by Stiles's dark mood, I shifted in my seat. I put one leg up on the leather chair and then placed my arm on the back of the seats. "Stiles, if this is about what happened today…"

"Oh, it is." Stiles clarified confidently, nodding his head and glancing in my direction. "Oh, it so is. In so many different ways it is."

"You do understand that he isn't in his right mind, right?" I asked him, cocking up an eyebrow and trying to be somewhat supportive but somewhat pushy at the same time. As much as I hated saying it, Stiles needed to put that aside tonight. "He's done shitty things to a lot of people day."

"You mean like how he left a bruise on your wrist?" Stiles then countered and it was like I had been slapped in the face again. I instinctively pulled up the sleeve of my hoodie and saw the fading bruise, chewing on my bottom lip. "I still don't understand how you can't see that it is freaking dangerous for you to be with him tonight. He already hurt you once. I don't want it to happen again."

"And it won't." I justified in almost a scoff. "He's gonna be chained up this time."

"Do you really believe that this plan is going to work perfectly—how we have is planned out in our heads?"

"No, of course not." I answered, shaking my head. I then let out a frustrated growl, rubbing my forehead furiously. "You know, I would seriously appreciate it you'd stop acting like I have no clue what the hell I'm doing. Stiles, I am sixteen years old, I ran from an alpha werewolf who was trying to kill me, hid from one inside a video store, and—and I know that I don't have super strength of senses but what I do have is faith in myself and somewhat faith in Scott because I know who he is when the moon isn't full. And to be quite honest, I think you should too."

It was quiet in the Jeep for a moment and it made me a little bit uncomfortable. Stiles and I were very rarely quiet around each other, we were always talking. Sadly, this was the same conversation we'd had this morning and I didn't mean to get so frustrated but I felt like he wasn't getting what I was saying. Another part of me knew that he understood very well he just chose the latter. He wanted to protect me so much and as much as it made me feel good, I couldn't let it happen. I needed to fight my own battles too because Stiles wasn't always going to be there and I wouldn't obligate him to be.

"You're right." Stiles finally agreed and I was more surprised on the inside. On the outside, I simply looked over at him with a calm expression. "But—but he kissed Lydia, Tessa— _Lydia_. She's the girl I've been in love with since the 3rd freaking grade and it's hard to let it go but Scott is my best friend and…I never expected something like this from him, you know? Especially since he's so in love with Allison."

"I know this sounds redundant but it's the full moon. Of course he loves Allison but he was so devastatingly heartbroken, trust me, I can hear the Adele music on my side of the street, he's completely lost himself in the midst of his newfound werewolf confidence." I explained, running a hand through my hair and turning back around in my seat to face the windshield. "He said some things to me today that he'd never say to me, ever. He'd never lay a hand on me. I trust him enough to know that it's just the full moon."

As I finished my sentence, Stiles turned the Jeep into the parking lot of the hardware store just a few blocks from the house. He cut the engine and then jumped out without a word, coming over to my door and opening it for me. I gave him a comforting glance before jumping out and making my way into the store behind him. Stiles shoved his hands in his pockets and I grabbed a cart, knowing we'd probably need one. We slowly started making our way through the aisle, waiting for Stiles to turn down one. I wasn't surprised when we were all the way at the back of the door where chains upon chains were piled up on top of each other.

"I'm probably going to need your help." Stiles exhaled deeply, running a hand over his buzz cut. I pressed my lips together and bobbed my eyebrows, silently agreeing with him. It took us a few tries but we finally got a long link of heavy chain up into our arms. We waddled over gracelessly to the cart and then threw it inside, a loud bang filling the empty store. I grimaced, waiting for the echo to fade before looking at Stiles.

"You think this will hold him?" I asked nervously, scratching the back of my neck. "I just want to be sure."

"Uh, well, we can have lots of faith, right?" Stiles countered and I pressed my tongue to the inside of my cheek, narrowing my eyes at him. Proud of himself, the boy smirked and then nodded his head in appreciation. Quickly, I swung out my arm and landed a nice punch to the side of his arm. His mouth opened as if he were going to scream but instead, a weird squealing noise came out as he clutched onto the place where I'd hit him and jumped around on the spot. I watched him with an amused expression before grabbing onto the cart and turning it around.

"Try me, Stilinski. I dare you." I threatened over my shoulder, making sure to put some swagger in my step as I pushed the heavy cart by myself. I heard him mutter some curse words under his breath before his sneakers squeaked against the floor, rushing to catch up to me.

"I—I probably deserved that." He breathed out, cracking his neck and then sighing. "Hold on, I need to grab one more thing."

He sprinted off in another direction before I could ask him what. I waited patiently and within a few seconds, Stiles was sprinting back. Partially out of breath, he tossed the item into the cart and I looked down at the red water bowl that was meant for dogs. I eyed it suspiciously before slowly bringing my gaze up to Stiles.

"What the hell is that?" I inquired and Stiles shrugged his shoulders innocently.

"Nothing. You ask another question, and you pay for everything." He threatened and I clenched my jaw, glaring at him before pushing the cart towards the checkout.

Just as I had expected, the cashier was more than confused. As if I could make it better, I reached down on the small shelf beside the counter and picked up a bag of candy. I tossed it on top of the chains and then grinned at the lady behind the counter. She nervously smiled back before checking out our items. Then, Stiles and I scooped up the chains together and hurried out the door. It didn't help as we loaded the chains into his Jeep that the full moon was slowly starting to make its way around the clouds. I felt like we were running out of time and leapt into the Jeep. Stiles floored it out of the parking lot and I held on for dear life as we sped back towards Scott's house.

Once we got there, Stiles and I got out, shoving the chains and mysterious water bowl in a duffel bag Stiles had in his Jeep. He pulled a key out from his pocket and unlocked Scott's door as we came up to the porch. I checked over my shoulder to make sure Andre wasn't close to any windows and then we slipped inside.

"You know, Andre could see your Jeep." I muttered as entered Scott's house.

"Just tell her we came here after the movie. We wanted to cheer Scott up after the breakup so we brought him curly friends which you mentioned in your great lie, by the way." Stiles suggested as he shut the door behind him.

"Scott?" Someone called out and I recognized the voice as Mrs. McCall. She came around the corner but stopped short when she saw that it wasn't her son. Smiling sheepishly, Stiles greeted the woman.

"Stiles," He said like a small child.

"And Tessa," I added on, giving a curt wave to the woman who nodded slowly when I said my name.

"Glad to finally put a face to a name." Mrs. McCall said politely, gesturing towards me with the hand that wasn't clutching to her purse. I realized that she was dressed in her scrubs which was convenient for us. She was going to work which meant she wouldn't be in the house tonight. Mrs. McCall then proceeded to chuckle almost emotionlessly. "Key," She pointed down to Stiles's hand.

"Yeah!" Stiles practically cheered, holding it up for her to see. "I had one made. So…"

"That doesn't surprise me." She replied tiredly and I tried not to laugh at her tone. She was obviously used to Stiles's antics considering he'd been her son's best friend since elementary school. "It scares me, but it doesn't surprise me." She murmured the last bit and I let the corners of my mouth quirk up slightly.

Of course, Stiles thought it was a good idea to throw down the duffel bad directly down by his feet and in front of Mrs. McCall. I cringed when the sound of chains nearly echoed throughout the whole house and rubbed my eyes in exasperation.

"What is that?" Mrs. McCall then demanded with a slight edge to her tone and I shot Stiles a quick glare out of the corner of my eye and he glared quickly back. Then, he stared down at the duffel bag, his mouth hanging open as he searched for a lie to tell.

"Uh…school project." He then replied and I knew that was probably the worst answer to give. What kind of school project involved something that sounded heavy and metal?

Mrs. McCall hummed, nodding slowly and then looking towards me with a suspicious expression that made my hands instantly clam up. "You're in on this to?"

I opened and closed my mouth like a fish, placing my hands behind me and rocking on my heels before nodding frantically. "Uh, yeah, kind of." I stammered, shrugging my shoulders. "I'm kind of like the mediator, making sure they actually do the work instead of screw around the whole time. It's really important to their overall grade for the semester and I wouldn't want to see them fail."

"Huh, I don't know why Scott doesn't mention you more. You're a darling." Mrs. McCall complimented and I blushed bashfully, looking down at the floor as a bitter snort came from Stiles. I kicked him in the shin with the side of my foot and he grunted, his stance buckling slightly but not crumbling all the way to the floor. Ignoring the action, Mrs. McCall sighed. "Stiles, he's okay, right?"

"Who? Scott?" Stiles fakely clarified in a high-pitched tone making me grimace. "Yeah." Stiles then answered, shaking his head like there wasn't a single thing wrong in the world. "Totally." He added on with a scoff and shrug of his shoulders.

I swallowed thickly, chewing on the inside of my cheek as I resisted the urge to kick him again. Mrs. McCall was already suspicious. We didn't need to make her even more suspicious because things would get complicated and I wasn't ready for that.

"He just doesn't…talk to me that much anymore. Not like he used to." Mrs. McCall told us, her tone shifting from apprehensive to almost…depressed. She looked away from us and I could see that in her eyes, she was truly upset. It made sense. Scott was so wrapped up in his supernatural life that he could barely talk to his mom about anything normal.

"Well, he's had a bit of a rough week." Stiles pointed out, rocking back on his heels and making a face.

Mrs. McCall sighed. "Yeah, yeah, I get it. Yeah, um…" She trailed off and I cleared my throat, stepping forward.

"I'm sure he'll come around." I assured her, not liking the way her sadness was enveloping the room. "I wouldn't worry too much. He's a teenage boy, what do you expect, right?" I exhaled sharply and gave a comforting smile.

She nodded in agreement and then let out a breathless chuckle. "Okay, well, uh, you two be careful tonight."

"You too." Stiles replied with a cheesy smile.

"Full moon." She stated bluntly and Stiles and I simultaneously froze up on the spot, startled by the two words.

"What?" Stiles gawked, the smile wiping off of his face.

"Uh, there's a full moon tonight." Mrs. McCall repeated calmly, nodding her head slowly. She ended it with a small chuckle. "You should see how the E.R gets. Brings out all the nut jobs."

Stiles and I both sagged in relief. "Oh," We breathed out together.

"You know it's, um, actually where they came up with the word 'lunatic'" Mrs. McCall stated as she began to make her way towards the front door. She then proceeded to pat Stiles on the shoulder before leaving the house.

"Okay, weird, let's just get this over with." I muttered, rubbing my forehead. I picked up the bag, suddenly finding some strength, and brought it into the kitchen. Wordlessly, Stiles grabbed the bowl out of the bag, found a black marker, and wrote Scott's name across the front. "You asshole. He's gonna kill you first."

"Too soon, Tessa. Too soon." Stiles muttered, shaking his head and then ushering me upstairs with the bag.

I hauled it upstairs, Stiles having to place a hand on my waist to make sure I didn't fall over. I tried to ignore the fact that his hand was there, slightly questioning myself on why it mattered in the first place, and then turned down the hallway to Scott's room which I'd never been in before. I'd only been in his foyer the morning I told him I knew about werewolves. Any other day, I would feel awkward being here but considering the circumstances, it was the least of my worries. So, when we entered the room and turned on the light, I dropped the bag down with ease. I looked up and then let out a terrified gasp, stumbling backwards in Stiles who let out a shout.

"Oh my, God!" He said, his arm wrapped around me in a protective way before slowly releasing me when we realized it was just Scott. "Dude, you scared the hell out of me. Tessa didn't think you'd be home yet." He picked up the bag from where I had left it and dropped in front of Scott's feet whose facial expression hadn't changed since we'd entered the room. He looked borderline pissed off and it made me uneasy.

"I came in through the window." He said calmly but his voice had a slight edge to it and it wasn't like his mother's downstairs.

"Okay…" I trailed off, glancing at the, in fact, open window to my left. "Stiles, let's get this set up." I ordered quietly, glancing at the boy who agreed.

"I want you to see what I bought." Stiles mentioned as he bent down and opened up the duffel bag. I bent down to help him but paused.

"I'm fine." Scott snapped from his spot on his chair. "I'm just gonna lock the door and go to bed early tonight."

"Scott, I—I don't think that's a good idea." I murmured, standing up to my full height and giving him a concerned look. "You—you got this serial killer look and it's kind of freaking me out."

"I'm fine." He repeated, looking me dead in the eyes and I shifted uncomfortably, running my hand over the bruise on my wrist. "You should go now."

"Alright, we'll leave." Stiles said and I whipped my head over my shoulder, giving him an extremely puzzled look.

"What, no! We can't leave." I protested, taking a step towards him.

"Just look at what I bought, please?" Stiles begged Stiles, ignoring me and making me scoff. "Maybe you can use it. Maybe you won't. Sound good?"

Slowly, Scott began to rise up from the chair. I could feel his heated body behind me and dared not turn around. He brushed passed me silently and neared closer to Stiles with the same look on his face. Scott knelt down and then pulled out the chains, an almost offended look crossing his features.

"You think I'm gonna let you two put these on and chain me up like a dog?" Scott asked dangerously and I swallowed nervously, bouncing on my toes.

"Actually, no." Stiles then replied confidently and I stopped bouncing. He suddenly shot forward and before I could even question what he was doing, Stiles had whipped out a pair of handcuffs. He shoved Scott down, putting one cuff around his wrist and then pushing him towards the radiator. He put the other cuff on the metal heater and I stumbled backwards, with surprise. Stiles got up from the floor as Scott grunted in protest.

"What the hell are you doing!?" Scott shouted angrily, jerking at the cuffs as I continued backing up towards Scott's bed.

"Protecting you from yourself." Stiles then answered, glancing at me as if to seek my approval. I reluctantly nodded, still slightly freaked out from the sudden actions. "And giving you some payback." This made me grimace and close my eyes. Of course. "For making out with Lydia."

"Stiles, I think you should step outside for a second." I whispered, holding up my hand as Scott's eyes narrowed on his friend. Without an argument, Stiles turned on his heel and strolled out of the room like he was some hot shot. He turned the corner and then I heard his feet pad down the stairs.

I turned my head down and looked at Scott who'd stopped fighting against the cuffs. He glared down the open doorway and I took a deep breath before wandering over to his desk. I pulled the chair out from it and then set it just a few feet away from Scott, getting in his line of vision and his eyes settled on me. I nearly shivered at the ferocity they held and licked my lips, rubbing my chin.

"Why are you here?" Scott asked almost accusingly but he still sounded slightly curious. Pissed off, but curious.

"You know why I'm here." I exhaled deeply, sitting back in the chair and crossing my arms. "I wanna make sure you don't go crazy and kill everyone in sight."

"You want to get back at me too? For hurting your precious Stiles?" Scott snarled from the floor and I rolled my eyes, slightly catching Scott off guard.

"No, I actually don't want any revenge." I answered, shrugging my shoulders. "I actually care about you, Scott. You're my friend and no matter how much you try to push me away, I'm always gone be here to make sure you don't fuck up."

"It didn't seem like that at lacrosse practice. I'm pretty sure you said, fuck you—twice." Scott reminded me and I sighed, flipping locks of hair out of my face. "He's never gonna like you. You trying to be the superhero and protect his best friend—it doesn't mean anything to him."

"Don't start this again." I snapped, trying not to let any other emotion show except for anger.

"It'll always be Lydia. She's the first choice. It's always been Lydia." Scott taunted and I slowly rose up from the chair. "You won't ever be her. You won't be as smart or as perfect as her. You're just plain old Tessa."

"You think you're hurting me, getting under my skin?" I muttered, walking over to him and bending down that we were eye level. I steadied my gaze and shook my head. "All your doing is trying to make yourself feel better after you little breakup with Allison. You wanna play dirty, fine. I'll play dirtier. You bring up Stiles, I bring up Allison. I'd like to see how long you'd be able to keep this up, big guy."

Scott growled and shot forward, trying to get in my face but the cuffs stopped him. He struggled against them one more. "Don't talk about her!"

"Choose your weapons wisely, Scott. Because the opponent might have stronger ones." I tutted before slowly rising to my full height and letting Scott glower up at me. "I'm only doing this for the other Scott. Not this one."

* * *

 **AN: I promise that this episode will not be four chapters. The next chapter will start off with the last bit of this episode and then run on into the new episode just for the sake of detail and dialogue. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Please leave reviews, they honestly mean the world to me. Love you guys!**


	21. Chapter 21

"I brought you some water." Stiles said from the doorway, causing me to quickly look over my shoulder at my friend. I watched as his amber colored eyes assessed the situation, taking in my tense form and Scott's extremely pissed off one. So, instead of deciding to ask questions, he lifted up the red bowl with Scott's name written across it with a very smug smile that made me roll my eyes. Stiles then proceeded to hold the bowl in the air and pour the water into it, spilling some on the floor but he was too proud to care. Scott didn't say a word, simply staring up at Stiles. Tossing the bottle to the side, he leaned down a placed the bowl in front of Scott, making me take a step back.

As if Stiles knew things we're going to get bad, he grabbed my hand and tugged me towards the door. I turned with him reluctantly and followed him when suddenly water flew in all different directions from behind me. It splashed onto my back and the bowl nearly missed my head. "I'm gonna kill you!" Scott yelled ferociously and Stiles stopped his walk. He forcefully pulled me around to stand outside of the room as I began to remove my now wet hoodie.

"You kissed her, Scott, okay?" Stiles shouted back to the werewolf with the same amount of anger lacing his tone. I tossed my hoodie to the ground and nervously watched the situation, feeling somewhat awkward. I didn't need to be here for this but I was and I planned to keep my mouth shut. Stiles then made his way slowly into the room. "You kissed Lydia. That's, like, the one girl that I ev—and you know, the past three hours, I've been thinking, it's probably just the full moon, you know, he doesn't even know what he's doing, and tomorrow, he'll be totally back to normal. He probably won't even remember what a complete dumbass he's been—a son of a bitch, a freaking unbelievable piece of crap friend."

"She kissed me." Scott then muttered from the floor and this made me take a step farther into his bedroom, a crease in between my brow. I looked passed Stiles and down at Scott, a pit forming in the middle of my stomach just from the three words.

Stiles gawked, his mouth hanging open as he thought over the words. "What?" He squeaked out like a kicked puppy and I swallowed thickly, deciding if I should try and comfort him yet or not.

Scott lifted up more from his fetal position on the floor. Instead of looking angry, he looked cocky. His looks resembled something like Jackson and it made me furious. The corners of his lips turned up slightly in a smirk and he bobbed his eyebrows. "I didn't kiss her. She kissed me." Scott repeated and I inhaled deeply, running my tongue over my lips. I couldn't tell if he was lying or not. I wanted to believe he was lying.

"Scott, cut it out." I warned but it didn't matter to Stiles. He turned on his heel and stormed out of the bedroom, done with Scott's bullshit. I made a move to follow Stiles but stopped when Scott continued on.

"She would've done a lot more, too." He muttered, looking up at me with the smug look as Stiles turned the corner and slammed his back against the wall beside Scott's bedroom door. "You should have seen the way she had her hands all over me. She would have done anything I wanted. ANYTHING!"

"I'm sick of this." I grumbled and then stomped over to his desk. I opened every single drawer, digging through all of his things, looking for one thing in particular.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Scott protested, obviously getting irked by the fact that I was going through his things. I ignored him, too upset to even stop on his account. Finally, in the very bottom drawer, I found a silver roll of duct tape. His scissors were in a cup on the tabletop and I grabbed them, pulling out a long piece of tape. I knew this was pointless but it would make me feel better. I knelt down in front of him and held up the piece of tape. "I'm just gonna take it off."

"You probably will." I breathed out, bobbing my eyebrows. "But I just need to do it to make me feel better."

I slammed down the piece of tape on his mouth, somehow managing to carry enough strength to send him reeling backwards. I smoothed it out but for some reason, he didn't make a move to take off the duct tape. I watched with curiosity and he simply stared me in the eyes and I could almost see the smirk through the tape. Before he could do anything else, I got up from the floor and then walked out of the room, looking for Stiles once I did. I looked to my right and saw that he had slid down the wall and was sitting on the floor. With a deep breath, I moved to the wall opposite of him and mimicked his position.

"Hey," I murmured softly once Stiles made eye contact with me.

"Hey," He repeated back in greeting but his tone was more damaged than mine.

I exhaled and then chewed on the inside of my cheek. "I would say the cliché thing like "don't listen to him" or, my favorite "it's just the full moon" but…I know it won't help." I admitted, shrugging my shoulders. "So, I've decided to make a change in subject. Reminder, on any other occasion, I would make some sarcastic comment about opening up to you about my personal life but tonight is different. You need a distraction and I am here to provide as much."

Stiles, to my surprise, exhaled sharply and a small smile pulled at his lips. "Do I really wanna know this?"

I lampooned hurt, gasping and placing a hand over my chest. "That hurts my heart. I deprive you of knowledge about my personal life beyond sarcasm and werewolves and you act so ungrateful."

Stiles rose up an eyebrow, as if he wanted to argue, but then decided against it. He rolled his eyes and sighed, shaking his head. "Fine, go ahead. I wanna know."

"Please, please, there's plenty of time, no need to rush me." I chuckled cockily, placing my hands up in the air and crossing my legs beneath me. I flipped some brown locks out of my face and then peered up at Stiles. "So, when I was probably ten or eleven, my dad decided that I should join the swim team. I didn't really get a choice in the matter, honestly. He just came to me and was like "hey, you're first swim practice is Monday" and I was like, okay what the hell. So, I went and as it turns out, I ended up liking it. I proceeded to swim throughout middle school and then my freshmen year. I joined the track team in eighth grade and ran last year and I'm probably going to do it here because, why not? But, I always felt really guilty for playing sports because I felt that I was just draining money out of my parents' pockets considering they paid for Andre to do some sports and go to college. It was weird, though. It was like…we never ran out of money. Our balance would run low and then suddenly, it'd spike back up and we'd have a couple thousand dollars back into our account."

Expectantly, a confused expression crossed Stiles's face. "What? Were your parent's secret drug dealers or something?"

I snorted and then rolled my eyes, picking at a string on my jeans. "I'd actually prefer that instead of being in the dark and wondering how that happened."

"Maybe you got a loan from some family members." Stiles suggested but I shook my head, pressing my tongue to my cheek.

"No, the thing about that…I constantly heard my mother talk about how much shit her sisters and her parents talked about us—me in general. I didn't get it at first but as I got older, I started to realize that no one along our family lines liked me." I explained, swallowing thickly. "I tried not to let it bother me but that's just confusing too like, why wouldn't they like me? I'm their granddaughter, niece, cousin—what did I ever do so wrong to them?"

"It doesn't sound like anything." Stiles admitted, shrugging a shoulder and I was glad that I'd finally gotten his mind off of things.

"And just to make it even weirder, I've asked my mom to see pictures like when I was born in stuff because Andre has a whole folder dedicated to pictures of her as a baby including pictures from the hospital." I continued on. "But my mom always said that she was tired or they were piled under lots of things. So, I took it upon myself to look through all of the photo albums and folders in our house but I did not find a single picture of me.

"It's weird saying it out loud, now that I think about it. Of course, it never occurred to me that maybe something was wrong here."

"Tessa, you don't have to talk about this anymore." Stiles muttered, shaking his head. "I—I got enough."

"No, Stiles, don't you understand? Something is seriously not right here."

"Stiles, will you please let me out?"

Our conversation cut short when a voice emitted from Scott's bedroom. Instead of the smug, low voice I was used to, Scott sounded pained and somewhat emotional. It caught me by surprise but Stiles barely flinched. "It's the full moon, I swear." Scott begged from inside and he was panting. "You know I wouldn't do any of this on purpose." There was a beat of silence where I could hear the cuffs jingling against the radiator. "Please, Stiles let me out." Scott's voice was condescending and he was starting to sound more like had at the lacrosse fields. "It's starting to hurt. It's not like the first time. It's the full moon. It's Allison…breaking up with me. I know…that it's not just taking a break. She broke up with me." I could see a saddened look on Stiles's face and I was even starting to feel more pity for Scott. "And it's killing me. I feel completely hopeless. Just, please, let me out."

Stiles didn't move but I could see him debate with himself. As if asking me for my opinion, I slowly shook my head. "I can't." Stiles muttered but he knew Scott would be able to hear him.

Then, there was what sounded like a distant howl and I kept my gaze locked on the wall in front of me. "No, no, no," I could hear Scott whispered. "No, no, no!" He was struggling and the sound of metal colliding with metal filled the quiet house and Scott groaned with agony.

Making me jump with a surprise, a loud yell of distress echoed throughout the house. I clamped my hands over my ears, shuffling away from his bedroom door, my heart beating wildly. Stiles copied my actions, shutting his eyes and taking a deep breath. In an attempt to be somewhat helpful, I shuffled to sit beside Stiles. I took one of his hands off of his ears and held it in mine. I then proceeded to lace or fingers and he didn't fight me on it. Instead, he gave me a squeeze and kept his eyes shut as Scott's shouts assaulted our ear drums. Slowly, the screams were beginning to mix with what sounded like growls and it put me on edge. As the growls got more intense, Stiles's grip on my hand tightened but then suddenly, as fast as the screams had started, they abruptly ended. Knowing this wasn't normal, I exchanged a worried look with Stiles.

"Scott, are you okay?" Stiles called to his best friend but there was no answer. I instantly climbed to my feet, almost falling over my sneakers and hurried towards the bedroom door.

"Scott?" I called out and then turned the knob, shoving open the door. What I was met with was a sight that made my entire stomach drop to the floor and pool around my feet like a disgusting puddle. On the floor, beside the heater, were the handcuffs. Surrounding the handcuffs were small splotches of blood and my eyes went upwards to look through the open window. I sprinted forward and stuck half of my body out the window, looking around frantically. "No, no, no," I muttered, pushing myself back inside and placing my hands on the side of my head. "Oh my, God!"

"Okay, Tessa, we need to relax." Stiles said, coming to put his hands on my shoulders but I could barely meet his gaze. "Tessa, look at me. We need to go, right now or else things are going to get a lot worse."

I nodded, trying to take deep breaths. Stiles turned and then began to run out of the house, me following closely behind him. We tumbled down the stairs and then sprinted out the front door, racing towards the Jeep. I flung myself into the passenger side and Stiles ran around to the driver side. He climbed in and started the engine, his foot slamming down onto the gas pedal. With a loud squeal of the tires, we sped out of the neighborhood.

"Stiles, how do we know where to look?" I asked nervously, one hand placed on the ceiling as the arrow on the speedometer gradually rose up to illegal numbers.

"Uh, well, uh, we don't." Stiles stammered, his free leg shaking with the familiar jitter but panic flaked his tone and I didn't blame him.

"This—this isn't what I wanted to happen!" I shouted over the sound of the engine revving to maximum speed. "We—we don't know where he is. He could have killed someone already!"  
"Tessa, he's been gone for like five minutes. You freaking out and making me freak out even more isn't going to help us whatsoever." Stiles pointed out, shaking his head wildly and turning random corners. Luckily, it was late enough at night that there weren't police officers out or other cars in the road. Stiles nervously tapped his thumb on the steering wheel, his tongue pressed to the inside of his cheek while his eyes constantly checked the rearview mirror.

After a few minutes of silent, worried driving, lights began to cut through the darkness violently. As we neared the lights, I realized that they were colored—red, white, and blue. With a terrified gasp, I lurched forward in my seat and I placed my palms flat on the dashboard as Stiles slowed down. We were nearing the Beacon Hills Preserve but it wasn't just wildlife we found. There were three or four sheriff vehicles flashing their lights and an ambulance with the doors opened in the back was parked in the middle of it all. Officers in dark green jackets occupied the preserve and I tried not to let the hopeless feeling of anxiety take over my entire being. Stiles pulled into the preserve pulling off to the side while muttering words I couldn't make out and officers turned to look in our direction but I could honestly care less at the moment. As Stiles got out of the Jeep first, I saw a gurney being wheeled towards the ambulance with a body covered by a white sheet on top. Without waiting for Stiles to open my door, I stumbled out, my eyes not daring to leave the scene and I clamped a hand over my mouth when I realized it was a dead body. Stiles came to stand by my side, grabbing my free hand and tugging me.

"Dad?" Stiles called out but there wasn't a single answer. I removed my hand from Stiles's and ran by his side as he turned another officer around. "Has anyone seen my-?" He was cut off by a hand placed on his shoulder.

"Mr. Stilinski?" I called out, breaking away from Stiles and frantically searching through the crowd of deputies. "Hello, where is he?" I called out with more urgency in my voice and a familiar feeling of dread filling me to the brim.

I waited for Stiles to call out again but when I looked over my shoulder, I saw that he was looking at the body. The hand was hanging out from underneath the sheet and it was charred, burned to a freaking crisp. Realization hit me like a truck and I felt like I suddenly couldn't breathe. Then, a voice broke through the hair.

"Stiles? Tessa?" I looked passed Stiles and saw the face we'd been looking for. Without a breath of relief, I hurried forward, pushing through deputies and watched as Stiles turned around with the same look of relief and instantly pulled his dad into a hug. They embraced each other and then broke away, letting me have my turn. Mr. Stilinski pulled me into a hug and I held onto him tightly, glad that he wasn't that body.

"I'm so glad you're okay." I whispered, shutting my eyes and relaxing into the man's touch. Soon, I pulled away and he looked between us curiously.

"What are you two doing here?" He asked but he didn't sound upset. He sounded more concerned and confused which was better than pissed off.

"We—we were coming back from a movie." I lied easily, glancing at Stiles who nodded in agreement. "And we saw this and—and we got worried."

"Isn't this the third crime scene you've shown up to?" Mr. Stilinski asked, cocking up an eyebrow and I grimaced, rubbing the back of my neck.

"Actually, fourth, sir." I corrected, holding up my other hand. "It's—it's really a habit I need to break." I chuckled nervously and Mr. Stilinski bobbed his eyebrows.

"Yeah, uh, what happened here?" Stiles asked, gesturing towards the ambulance and sheriff deputies covering every inch of the preserve. No wonder we hadn't seen any other cars on the road. They were all here.

"Stiles, you need to go home."

But we couldn't. We hadn't found Scott and we had no idea where he was. To Mr. Stilinski, it looked like another one of our antics but there were a million things on our plate at the moment. In a sense, Mr. Stilinski was right. We needed to leave. We were losing time on Scott and hopefully he hadn't decided to kill anyone yet unless the crime scene that we were standing at was his doing but it didn't make sense. Scott wouldn't burn the bodies, he'd just maul them to death and as creepy as it was thinking about it, it was true. I hoped Stiles knew that too and didn't plan on being here any longer. I hoped he'd just agree with his father so we could get back on the road and continue our wild goose chase for Scott because that's what it was. We were blindly running around look for a hormonal teenager that now had murderous tendencies.

"But Dad…"

"Stiles go."

"Ugh, fine." Stiles finally agreed with a childish groan, throwing his hand back and waving his arms. Nonetheless, he ushered me towards the car, placing his hand on the small of my back and I shoved him off, giving him an irritated look that he'd even tried to stay here. I tromped over to my side of the Jeep and climbed inside, buckling in as Stiles backed out of the preserve.

"Okay, showing up here was good. It means that Scott hasn't come here and as far as we're concerned, he hasn't killed anyone." I thought aloud, nodding my head along with my words as we drove back towards town.

"Yeah but that means someone else decided to have a barbeque and the main course were people." Stiles grimly stated and I shot him a distasteful look. "What?"

"That's disgusting and extremely cryptic like now is not the time." I stated firmly, holding out my hand as if I were going physically stop him. "Besides, who else has been killing people in this town?"

"The alpha." Stiles breathed out but then paused. "It doesn't make sense. Every time the alpha killed someone, it slashed their throats or—or mauled them. It never burned them alive."

"Does that mean we have another killer in town?" I asked but it seemed oddly illogical. As if Stiles was thinking the same thing, he shook his head. "Oh this is great."

"We'll figure it out later. We just need to find Scott."

The words finished leaving Stiles's lips and my phone instantly started ringing. It made the both of us jump and I scrambled to pull it out of my back pocket. When I flipped it over, I saw that it was a number I'd never seen before. I shot Stiles a confused look before answering.

"Hello?" I answered nervously, swallowing thickly and not missing the way Stiles tried to constantly keep his worried eyes on me.

 _"Tessa,"_ the gruff voice was familiar and it made my eyes widen with both fear and panic. I couldn't let Stiles know that I was on the phone with Derek. He'd lose his mind or worse, call his father.

"Uh, why are you calling me?" I asked bluntly, trying not to let on to Stiles that it was Derek but Stiles was raising his eyebrows expectantly, as if wondering why I wasn't telling him who was calling.

 _"I found Scott."_ Derek answered and my breath caught in my throat. _"I need you and Stiles to get down here now."_

"Where are you?" I ordered, instead of being panicked, becoming serious.

 _"I'm at some archery shop."_ Derek answered in the same sort of calm and annoyed tone he always used. _"He was coming after Allison and I stopped him."_

"Well why didn't we think of that?" I muttered and shook my head. "We'll be there in a second. Stay out of sight and keep him safe."

I hung up the phone and shoved it into the front pocket of my pants seeing as I didn't have my hoodie anymore.

"Who was that?" Stiles asked and I almost debated not even answering but there was no point in that. He was already going to meet Derek there anyways.

"That was…Derek." I replied quietly and I'd never seen Stiles's eyes get to big in my entire life. There were a few seconds of silence where the boy digested the information.

"WHAT!" He shouted and the Jeep literally swerved as he yelled out angrily. I held onto the ceiling, swinging my legs awkwardly as Stiles straightened out the car. "What do you mean, that was Derek? You can just say that."

"I mean Derek is alive and Derek called me. He found Scott and he wants us to meet us at that literally archery shop next to the mall." I explained, trying to remain calm and not screaming at Stiles.

"H—wha—since when is Derek alive? Last I checked, werewolves couldn't rise from the dead." Stiles gaped and I rolled my eyes, relaxing in my seat.

"They can heal, dumbass." I pointed out and Stiles glared at me menacingly.

"He got claws shoved through his chest. How do healing powers take care of that, hm?" Stiles challenged raising his eyebrows.

"The claws missed his heart. Alpha wounds take longer to heal and can keep a beta like Derek down for a couple of hours—days even. So, he healed and he's alive." I further explained, giving Stiles a pointed look like he should know this already.

"Why are you not surprised by this? You should be crying with joy since you seem to like Derek so much." Stiles muttered, looking away from me and back at the road. I smacked my lips together.

"Okay, I like Derek just about as much as you do I just know proper etiquette, alright?" I argued, frowning and then I drew out a long breath. "And I'm not that surprised because…I already kind of knew he was…alive." I saw Stiles tense up and I lunged forward. "Before you decide to yell, can we not swerve the Jeep again? I'd like to make it to our friend in these jeans, not a body bag."

"How the hell did you already know he was alive?" Stiles asked but his tone was low and it sounded like he was trying to keep from screaming. I decided to quit lying to him and then rubbed my forehead with my first.

"He came to my house last night. He didn't have anywhere to go and he doesn't trust you two idiots to not turn him into the police." I bit out, glaring at the side of Stiles's head. "And if you wanna get mad at me, just remember that I wasn't the one who lied about the only person who was going to help us being a murderer."

"You—I—he—ugh!" Stiles threw one of his hands up in frustration before blowing out a long breath and then side-glancing me. "I guess I won't be mad at you."

"Shut up." I grumbled and then rolled eyes, crossing my arms over my chest and leaning against the window. "Just drive, Stiles."

He did as he was told and soon we were pulling into the parking lot of the archery store. What I found was not Derek or Scott but glowing eyes in the forest behind the place. I got out of the Jeep and then hurried over to the trees, finding Scott lying on the ground while Derek loomed over him. Stiles followed hurriedly behind me, somehow stay quiet and I stared down at Scott before looking at Derek.

"He's fine." Derek informed me before I got a chance to say anything.

"What happened? Why the hell did he go after Allison?" I demanded, Scott pushing himself up by his arms to look up at Stiles and I.

"I'm drawn to her." Scott answered his voice low and defeated. "I—I love her and when I turn, she's all I can think about."

"What so when you shift into a werewolf your heart gets sappy and look for her even though you know you're broken up?" I clarified, raising my eyebrows and Scott shrugged sheepishly in response. "Okay, well, what exactly happened?"

"I—I started seeing things." Scott muttered, looking away from me and down at the ground. "It looked like Allison and Jackson were—were making out in her car. So, I got on top and I almost killed them."

"Okay, wait, what?" Stiles stammered, skidding to a stop beside me and looking down at his best friend. "You tried to kill Allison and Jackson."

"Mostly Jackson." Scott murmured and I could hear a hint of guilt in his tone.

"It's the alpha." I said, shaking my head. "This—this is what it wants to happen. It wants you to kill them. It wants you to see things. And it's using Allison to it. It draws you to her and then you kill anyone in sight which just happens to be your friends."

"Since when did you become so knowledgeable in alpha werewolf killer tactics?" Stiles scoffed, shooting me a small glare and I rolled my eyes.

"It's called common sense, moron. Seriously, use your brain." I said shaking my head and then looking back at Derek. "What the hell made you Superman?"

Derek narrowed his eyes but didn't retort. "He was going to kill them."

"That didn't seem to matter last night." I said and I heard Scott make a noise of protest but Stiles shook his head, silently saying he'd tell him later. "You were willing to let us do this on our own but you decide to show up out of the blue." I slowly descended on Derek who didn't even blink. "We were doing just fine without you!"  
"Really?" Derek scoffed, raising his eyebrows. "That's why Scott almost killed your best friend tonight?"

"We were looking for him." I argued but it was weak.

"And you weren't fast enough." Derek barked back and this made me blink, stopping my decent on him. "Face it, Tessa. You tried to do this by yourself but you can't. You can't always to things on your own."

"But I can damn well try. Besides, who else am I supposed to ask for help? You want me to walk up to the alpha and ask him a few survey questions to see if he's fit for the job?" I nodded my head along with my words. "Derek, you are the only help and he tried to give up on us—Scott. So don't give me the lecture about how I can't do this by myself because I don't have any other choice."

Derek and I had a stare off but his was more stable than mine. I felt like crying and screaming at the same time but I kept myself together. How embarrassing would that be? That'd really make me look pathetic then. That would make me look like some emotionally unstable girl who couldn't handle one full moon.

"I'm sorry."

The words sounded so foreign, they slurred together for a moment. My ears adjusted and then my brain caught up, repeating the two words in my head. I blinked, my lips parting slightly in shock before swallowing and then nodded.

"What the hell-?" I swung my hand back, expertly slapping Stiles in the stomach. He gasped and then doubled over, clutching onto his abdomen. I didn't take my eyes off of Derek before letting a relieved smile fall on my lips.

* * *

 **AN: This is all extremely confusing I know but I'm going to explain for those who actually read these. The last bit was all added on me, aside from the crime scene, and this chapter is shorter than usual. There is an AT &T Web series called: Search For A Cure and it's a short series that could qualify as a chapter. That series takes place an entirely different day before Episode 9 and it wouldn't make sense to put it in this chapter because it defienently needs its own. So, that's why this chapter is shorter and has the randomness added to the end. **

**Please leave reviews! I love them soooooooo much!**


	22. Chapter 22

I wasn't sure how many hours I'd gone without sleeping over the past few days. I tried to close my eyes but then my brain swirled with other places to check for information and other theories formed in my head. Andre probably thought I'd finally gone insane and I stopped arguing with her on it. I was sort of starting to believe it myself considering I barely thought about anything outside of the supernatural and always found my study sessions turning into research sessions on werewolves. When Derek said that I couldn't take care of a werewolf by myself, I decided to educate myself more. I never thought I'd see the day where I would praise the people around the world who believed in werewolves and made entire pages dedicated to them on the internet. Some were more helpful than other's granted Twilight was a blockbuster and Werewolf in London was a classic. For fun, I liked to read on what other people thought werewolves were and what they did, always proving them wrong inside my head and finding amusement out of it all.

I had gone over to Scott's house the morning after the full moon upon his request. He'd asked me to come over the next morning before I went home that night and I reluctantly agreed. I was still on the fence with him. I tried constantly convincing myself that it was just the full moon. Still, as much as I hated to admit it, what he said was truth. He had no filter between his brain and his mouth during the shift but he didn't just whip out these things from his ass. Lydia kissing Scott made sense—she'd basically proven that she had in fact kissed him. What Scott said about me being nothing compared to Lydia made sense too. Stiles liked her for a reason. She was beautiful, popular, and smart. Sure people knew me but it wasn't how Lydia was popular. I had firmly decided with myself that, if in fact there any feelings for Stiles, I was going to shove them down to the deepest depths of the Earth and make sure that they would never be found by any human. It wasn't worth it to like Stiles and quite frankly, I didn't have the effort anymore.

Scott had apologized for anything that he said to hurt me. He apologized for hurting me in general. He remembered everything and I could see that in his eyes, it killed him inside. He hated that he'd done those things to Stiles and I and he'd even told me himself that he didn't like kissing Lydia. He knew it was wrong and he was genuinely upset that any of it happened in the first place. Of course I forgave him, how could I not? In the midst of everything, werewolves and all, I'd started to grow a friendship with Scott. Sure it wasn't like my friendship with Lydia and Allison, but we were friends. We'd been through things together that we couldn't talk about with anyone else—beyond Stiles and somehow Derek—and it helped to have someone like that around, especially since he lived right across the street. I knew that he cared about me too. He'd been so afraid of hurting me on the full moon and technically, he didn't. He actually reacted differently than we expected but that was beyond the point.

I nearly screamed with excitement when Scott proceeded to tell me the news about what Derek had told him before he left that night. Scott had told Derek that he couldn't be with Allison and be a werewolf—it was crushing him and putting her in danger as well as everyone else around him. So, Derek told him something I hadn't even thought about. Derek said that there was possibly a cure—a cure for being a werewolf. He stressed that he wasn't even sure if it would work but it was worth it to give it a try. He said that if you killed the alpha that bit you, you had a chance of turning back to a human. Derek proposed that if Scott helped Derek find the alpha, he would help Scott kill him. I made sure that Scott took the offer, threatening to punch him in the shoulder, he could heal but shit still hurt, and he nodded frantically with his wide puppy dog eyes. The news was passed down to Stiles who'd apparently been up to the same nonsense I had. I'd stayed up hours every night searching through the weirdest parts of the web to see if there was a definite way of curing Scott. I didn't doubt Derek but what with the theory not being solid, I worried about it. I didn't want Scott to kill the alpha and then be completely broken when it didn't cure him. Of course nothing extremely world shattering could come out of this, except for Scott's entire planet, considering we would finally kill the alpha once and for all. We'd finally get to stop worrying about people dying and Scott trying to kill other werewolves but there was still the Argent's to worry about.

Kate and Chris were dangerous. They were werewolf hunters and Chris's daughter had romantic relations with a werewolf. They came back here for a reason and that was to kill off the werewolves in Beacon Hills. I'm sure it was more specifically the alpha werewolf but I wasn't sure if that's all they wanted gone. Derek and Scott were in danger of getting wolfs bane bullets shot in their heads just as much as the alpha. I just wasn't sure how exactly the Argent's planned on taking down the alpha themselves. Honestly, it made me a little curious. Did they know something about kill an alpha that we didn't? No matter what, we were still sort of on the same page. They didn't know who the alpha was and neither did we. We didn't know where they alpha stayed. We didn't know why the alpha was killing these people. I wouldn't recommend working together but I'd suggest the Argent's take a look at their playing field here and see that we're playing for the same team just batting for a different reason and working to win a different trophy.

I had checked out books from the library when Andre went there to study and she had asked me why I was checking out books for lycanthrope. I easily lied and said that it was for a history project I was doing with Lydia. I hated that it was so easy for me to lie to Andre now. I was lying to everyone, even myself sometimes, and it defienently didn't settle well when I finally got around to thinking about it. What with all the books, I was surrounded by them. They were stacked on my dresser, piled on my floor, littering my entire bed like a blanket, and it looked like a complete disaster. I was currently sitting on my bed, my nose deep in a French history book about werewolves. Other books were open and sitting around in front of me while light music played in the background. I chewed on my thumbnail as I read a passage out of the book and probably looked like a hyperactive girl who loved school just a little bit too much. Amongst the books were actually books about math and science and I double-teamed the subjects.

I barely noticed Andre open my bedroom door until she made a noise like she might have been choking on air. She had almost stepped on a large pile of books and her mouth was hanging open, her foot dangling in the air. "What the—Tessa!" She scolded, obviously not pleased that my room looked the way it did.

"Those aren't mine so don't damage them." I warned her, pointing a finger to the books she'd almost stepped on. "I don't have a lot of money."

"Wha—neither do I!" Andre argued, pointing to her chest and raising her eyebrows. She sighed and then ran the back of her hand across her forehead as she scanned the room once more. "Tessa, this is ridiculous. What is it with you and werewolves? "

I looked away from her, continuing to read the book. "I told you. It's for a project." I clarified, my voice sounding toneless and almost negligent.

"Well why isn't Lydia helping you?" Andre inquired and I shrugged my shoulder, chewing on the edge of a pencil. "Seriously, you don't know?"

"Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get." I quoted and I flipped a page in the large book while Andre scoffed.

"Did you just movie quote me?" She said with offense. "That doesn't even make sense."  
"It kind of does," I argued, nodding and then paused to look at her. "Think about it."

I returned to my reading and Andre let out an exasperated sigh, making her way farther into my room. She stepped over books and clothes, wrinkling her nose in distaste at the sight of my cluttered room. "I never imagined you to get this invested in a school project. You hate school."

I snorted bitterly, taking the pencil out of my mouth and then spinning it in between my fingers to keep my hands busy. "Andre that was the past. This—this is the present and it has some glorious days."

Andre paused and stared at me. "Okay, now you're starting to freak me out. Dr. Phil, what have you done to my sister?"

"I've abducted her and put her in a land filled with rainbows and ponies. It's so much better there." I piled on to the joke but Andre found it the least bit amusing. Suddenly, the book was ripped from my lap and I blinked the action so fast it made my vision blur. "What the—?" I looked up and then saw that Andre had swiped it from me.

"You are finished studying for the night." Andre ordered and I tried to stop her but she slammed the book shut, losing my spot where I left off. I growled in frustration and she tossed the book to the floor. "You've turned some sort of animal coped up in its cave. You're never like this."

"I had a change of heart." I spat, getting up from the bed and picking up the neglected book. I brushed off some dirt that had gotten on it and then set it on my desk for later. "Besides, when have you been so concerned about me doing work?"

"Because I know this isn't for a school project, Tessa." Andre answered, shaking her head and watching me as I moved around the room. I stacked up books and shoved them to one wall to get them out of the way.

"Yes it is. I wanna get extra credit so I'm studying more." I lied again and when I looked up at Andre, she had a mix of anger and hurt on her face. I swallowed nervously and tried to ignore it, making another pile of books and shoving them to the side.

"Why are you doing this to me?" Andre muttered, crossing her arms over her chest and making me pause. I looked over at her and shrugged my shoulders.

"I—I don't understand what you're talking about." I replied but I knew exactly what she was talking about. She was talking about me lying to her all the time. If I thought I could lie to her forever, I was wrong. Sadly, I'd thought that.

"Why do you keep lying to me?" She clarified, letting her gaze go up towards the ceiling before falling back down on me, guilt washing over my form like a bucket of ice cold water. The look in her eyes made me shiver and I rolled my shoulders.

"I can't talk about this right now." I mumbled and tried to continue cleaning up my room but it was hard with her eyes on me.

"Uh, yes, you can. That is a lame excuse. You literally have nothing to do right now." Andre defended and I locked my jaw, rubbing my eyes with my fists. "I thought we were better than this."

"We are. I—I'm just going through some things right now." I breathed out, shoving clothes off to the side and feeling millions of emotions swelling up in my chest.

"And you can't tell me?" Andre scoffed, raising her eyebrows and dropping her arms down to her sides. "Seriously?"

"Andre!" I shouted in a warning tone, pausing and making her jump. I snapped my body around to face her and her eyes were wide. I inhaled deeply and then pinched the bridge of my nose, feeling a headache coming on. "I—I don't want to talk about it."

"Fine." Andre replied back in a tight voice. "I'm gonna be downstairs."

* * *

"Scott?" I half-greeted, furrowing my brow and giving him a confused look. Luckily, Andre was back in the living room. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, everything's fine." He replied before shrugging. "Well, aside from other things…everything's fine."

"Not that I love having company," I sarcastically said and Scott grimaced. "What are you doing here?"

"You remember what we talked about the other night—the cure?" Scott asked, making sure to keep his voice down and glancing nervously towards my sister who probably wouldn't be able to hear us anymore.

"Sure. I've been researching crap all weekend." I mentioned, wrapping my arms around my torso and making Scott paused for a moment.

"You've been doing research? On what?"

"Well considering Derek isn't completely sure that killing the alpha will cure you, I wanted to see if there was something that we could be sure about." I answered nonchalantly, shrugging my shoulder and sticking out my bottom lip. "I like to always have a backup plan."

"That's kind of what I'm here about. Stiles thinks he found another way to cure me—or at least someone who can tell me how." Scott explained and I cocked my head to the side, silently questioning him. "He said to meet him at the hospital and he'd tell us more."

I held up my hand, shutting my eyes for a moment. "Wait, us as in we? Me and you?" I clarified and Scott nodded slowly, slightly confused.

I grabbed my things, lied to Andre once more and then stepped out of the house. When I saw my empty driveway, I paused. "Uh, Scott, question."

"Yep?"

"Car. You don't have one. How the hell are we getting to the hospital?" I held my hands up in the air, a slightly annoyed expression on my face. Scott then cringed, his shoulder theatrically rising and his knees bending slightly.

"I might have forgotten to mention the part where you have to…ride me."

I gagged and then swallowed. "Say what now?"

Scott's eyes widened when he realized his mistake. "Oh my—gah that was so not supposed to come out like that!" He shouted, jumping around on my front lawn and obviously being grossed out by the situation too.

"Okay, no need to get me offended assface." I muttered, glaring at him but he seemed to take no offence himself. "Tell me what you did mean so I can stop feeling uncomfortable already."

"I meant that I'm strong and fast enough to carry you on my back to the hospital." Scott said and I cocked up my eyebrows, giving him a somewhat expectant look.

"So you're gonna be my horse?" I snorted and I saw Scott's face flush. I swore loudly and clapped a hand to my forehead. "Come on, again?"

"Hey, it wasn't me this time!"

"You started this!"

"Wha—yeah, yeah, I did." Scott mumbled and looked down at the ground.

"Whatever. Let's just get out of here before it gets too late. We all know how Stiles gets." I sighed and then continued on down my porch steps. "Just give me like a piggy back ride or something."

"That was the plan initially before things got weird."

Scott knelt down, holding out his arms, and I awkwardly hopped on his back. We teetered to the side but Scott gained his footing and then hiked me up more on his back. I wrapped my arms lightly around his shoulders and he took off running towards the woods behind his eyes. I had to close my eyes to avoid screaming as we expertly dodged trees and jumped over large rocks. Scott chuckled every time I muttered words about being sick. Soon enough, the hospital was coming in to view. I then could see Stiles's Jeep idling in a spot and when I thought we were going to stop, we didn't. Instead, Scott wanted to be freaky as hell. He leapt up in the air and we soared quietly on top of the Jeep, landing with a loud thud and snarl from Scott. Scott let go of me and then bent down, sticking his head in front of the open window on the passenger side as I awkwardly stood on top of the Jeep, trying to keep myself upright.

"Dude, what the hell?" Stiles protested from inside the Jeep and Scott snorted. I frowned, a cold breeze blowing through the air and making me uncomfortable.

"Uh, Scott?" I called out and I heard Stiles intake a breath.

"Wha—is that Tessa on the roof?" Stiles asked and suddenly, I saw his head poke out the driver side window. I tried not to gawk over the fact that he was wearing a hat backwards on his head and I found it oddly…attractive. He looked up towards me and I gave a curt wave. "Scott, get her down from there!"

"Okay, okay!" Scott squeaked, lifting himself back up. He wrapped an arm around my waist, pinning me to his chest, and then jumped down off the Jeep. He set me down and I have him a small glare before turning towards Stiles.

"Hi." I nervously greeted and he shot Scott the same glare.

"What'd you find out?" Scott then asked as Stiles got out of the Jeep. We all collected near the hood and Stiles pulled out his phone.

"I've basically been researching every night and considering Derek isn't exactly in my trust circle-"

"You have a trust circle?" I snorted and Stiles shot a glare at me. "I thought the circle was my thing." I pointed to my chest and Stiles rolled his eyes.

"Everything you're saying is unimportant. Let me get to the actually time-worthy things." Stiles smiled bitterly and I rolled my eyes, crossing my arms over my chest.

He finally pulled up a video on his phone and then turned it around so Scott and I could see it. On the screen was an older man who obviously was a teacher. There was a whiteboard behind him with small black words written all over it and one I recognized.

 _Werewolf_

Stiles clicked the play button on the screen and the man began to speak. _"The term lycanthrope is derived from the Greek myth of Lycian—the king of Arcadia—renowned by his cruelty. He was later transformed into a wolf by Zeus."_

"I read about Lycian." I mentioned, tapping my finger on my chin. "He was an ass."

Stiles shushed me theatrically, waving his finger and my face and I slapped it before returning back to the teacher. _"He was turned into a monster as punishment for his own monstrous actions." The picture of Lycian then appeared on the screen, familiar to me. It was part of a Wikipedia page, quickly scanning over paragraphs and photos. Dramatically, there was a small wolf howl before it returned back to the man. "But lycanthrope as we all now is just another name for werewolf."_ This caught Scott's attention and he looked up towards Stiles and then towards me. Stiles looked exceptionally pleased, a small smile on his face while pressing his tongue to the inside of his cheek. " _The half man-half wolf legend which appears in dozens of different cultures from the Cicadas of Lithowaynea to the Wacoal of Russia to the more commonly known Blue Haroon of France." With each legend, a terrifying picture popped up on to the screen, some looking oddly like the alpha. "Now contrary to some belief the werewolves abilities are not beholden to the full moon rather than they could be called upon it will. Now those abilities are ranging from the incredible speed to remarkable agility are able to move in the bipedal run equally adapt as a hydropath."_ The man paused for a brief moment, as if someone in the background as asking a question and I could see the excitement wafting off of Scott with the new information. _"Yes, I'm aware of lycanthropy—the psychological disorder in which a person mistakenly believes themselves to be a wild animal. I'm not here to discuss that. I'm not talking about the disorder of the mind. I'm talking about werewolves—the actual and proven existence of werewolves."_

Laughs emitted from the crowd in the background. _"This guy's a doctor?"_ Someone muttered and I could see the man getting agitated with his back turned to the people. He clenched his jaw and looked as if he was trying to ignore them but it was merely impossible. The video then stopped and I blinked, finding myself been completely captivated in the speech.

"This is the guy." Stiles then said, gesturing towards the screen and I cocked up an eyebrow, looking at him.

"This is your big lead? A doctor who got laughed at by a whole room of students?" I asked and Stiles sighed, scrubbing a hand down his face.

"This…is your cure." He then said, looking back at Scott who looked just about as convinced as I was. Stiles kept playing the video and the man kept fighting with himself to turn all the way around to face the people who were laughing at him. Stiles paused it again and I rubbed my chin, letting out a long breath.

"Who is he?" Scott asked, realizing that Stiles had never actually told us who he was. I took a step closer to the boys, noticing that I had backed up during the video.

"Well his real name is Doctor Conrad Haberland." Stiles answered and Scott raised his eyebrows.

"What do you mean his real name?"

"He had it legally changed and that's how I know I got the right guy. You wanna know what he changed it to? Doctor Conrad Fenris."

"Ooh!" I chanted waving my hands in the air. "What a climax."

"Will you please stop making fun of me? It's seriously killing my mood." Stiles whined and I smirked, crossing my arms over my chest.

"You think tacking on the last bit will stop me? Buddy, that makes me want to do it even more." I taunted, giving him a slightly crazed look.

"Okay, you're starting to scare me again. You officially scare me." Stiles muttered nervously and I snickered, Scott rolling his eyes in amusement. "Okay, well, Fennris is the son of Loki in Thor's mythology, okay? Here," Stiles pulled up a picture of a gigantic wolf. There was a man dressed in armor with a shield riding what looked to be a dragon. "See?"

"Is he the guy on the horse?" Scott asked but Stiles shook his head and I reached forward, slapping Scott on the back of the head making him clutch onto his hair.

"He's the wolf, dumbass." Stiles and I both said in unison, giving each other a confused look before he continued. "Look, he's supposed to be the influence for the story 'Little Red Riding Hood'."

"You do know what that is, right?" I asked Scott sarcastically and he glared at me.

"Yes I know what that is." He answered with the same amount of sarcasm and I gave him a proud smile which made him roll his eyes but in annoyance this time. "So why'd this guy change his name?"

"I think the video on the internet where he gets devastatingly humiliated is a pretty good stimulator for wanting to change who you are." I pointed out with a shrug of my shoulders, Stiles nodding in agreement.

"The idiot ruined himself." He packed on and I gave him a pointed look as if to tell him to have a little bit more respect. Dr. Fenris wasn't wrong. He was actually incredibly right considering there was a werewolf standing right in front of me.

"So…why would he change his name to a giant wolf?" Scott inquired and I looked down at the ground, thinking to myself.

"It doesn't make sense. I mean, if I did that, it'd mean that even though I received a middle school themed embarrassment in front of our generation, I still believed in werewolves." I explained still staring at the ground but when I realized the parking lot had gone silent, I looked up at the boys who were simply gawking at me and I awkwardly snorted. "What the hell are you two looking at?"

"Tessa, that makes perfect sense! Seriously, what the…" Stiles sputtered, waving his arms around.

"Oh, wow, okay, rude. Take it down a notch." I ordered, holding up my finger. "I appreciate that thank you."

"Okay, well, what makes you so sure that he's got a cure?" Scott interjected, still wanting to stay on topic. Stiles made a face, pressing his lips together before shrugging.

"Well, I'm not but—but I've, uh, watched like all this guy's videos, okay? He knows everything there is to know about werewolves and I mean _everything_." Stiles justified, looking between Scott and I. "Just listen to this." He pulled out up the video once more on his small phone.

 _"Things like this are propagated across all cultures—the ideas that you could wear an animal skin and take on the attributes of that animal. Warriors called Bezerkers would drape themselves in pelts of bear and were seen to fight in uncontrollable almost trans like fury. It's where we derive the term 'bezerk'. Now we're looking 'bear-zerkers' convincing themselves of this animal's fury or was it actually happening?"_

"This is the closest thing we've got to a certified expert." Stiles said and I hummed, bobbing my eyebrows.

"Yeah, what about the actual werewolf? You know, Derek Hale?" I cocked my head to the side and Stiles shook his head.

"No, this—this guy is better than Derek."

"You're just saying that."

"I could be…but I'm not." Stiles argued, giving me a serious look. "I've been researching for days and he's the best thing that's come out of it."  
"She's right. Derek is pretty good." Scott agreed and Stiles smacked his lips.

"There you go, just mentioning his name again, wow. Do you enjoy hurting me?"

"Okay, well, how are we gonna find this guy?" Scott asked and Stiles thought for a moment but a familiar expression placed itself on his face.

"Oh, no, no!" I jumped forward. "That—that is your face. I know that face."

"What are you talking about?" Scott murmured with confusion beside me.

"I'm talking about the "I have a really stupid idea and I know Tessa is going to hate it" face." I snapped, pointing at Stiles.

"That is really specific, wow." Scott blinked and made a slightly concussed expression.

"I already did find this guy, okay? So I don't have any stupid ideas." Stiles justified, glaring at me and I raised my eyebrows.

"Oh, so you stalked him?" I countered and Stiles opened and closed his mouth for a few seconds before growling to himself. Finally, we all turned to look back at the hospital doors and it was then I in fact saw the man on our video. Dr. Fenris worked at the hospital here in Beacon Hills. "Let's just get this over with…"

We watched the guy for a few more moments and the doctor proceeded to walk down the steps from the hospital and out in to the parking lot. The three of us turned out backs, trying to act somewhat casual and as soon as Dr. Fenris left, Stiles slapped Scott on the arm, ushering him to move. I followed the boys as they made a move to follow Dr. Fenris but in no way whatsoever did they try to have stealth. Instead, we casually walked behind him, keeping the sound of our footsteps to a minimum. I glanced around nervously, hoping we weren't going to be watched, and decided to yell at Stiles later. Only a few moments later did Dr. Fenris looked over his shoulder and I skidded to a stop. Apparently, that wasn't the right thing to do because Stiles grabbed my hand and tugged me forcefully, keeping me from stopping again.

"I think he saw us." Scott whispered after the doctor had completely disregarded us. I rolled my eyes. Of course he saw us.

"So what?" Stiles replied, his eyes trained directly on Dr. Fenris and my hand still clasped in his. Once again, Dr. Fenris looked over his shoulder and this time, his gaze was just a little bit more suspicious and he kicked up his pace.

"I think he thinks we're following him." Scott then noticed and I tried not to make some sarcastic comment about him pointing out the obvious.

"No he…doesn't." Stiles said apprehensively, shaking his head but he knew that was exactly what Dr. Fenris was thinking.

"Well he's walking faster." Scott quickly shot back, a sort of desperate tone to his voice. His only way of maybe getting a cure and Stiles was practically ruining it.

"No he's not!" Stiles argued, shrugging his shoulders and I kept my mouth shut, afraid to say anything at all.

"Okay, we're defienently walking faster." Scott said and I figured that was true too. Stiles had picked up his own pace and I was nearly tumbling over my feet.

"Well that's cause he's walking faster." Stiles then finally admitted and I sucked in a deep breath, glancing around once more and instinctively getting closer to Stiles. I really didn't feel comfortable and as if he noticed my stress, he gave a light squeeze to my hand. I glanced up at the side of his face but he resisted looking down at me even though his jawline twitched.

Another look over the shoulder was provided to us by the doctor but he looked more concerned this time and slightly afraid. "He probably thinks we're gonna mug him." Scott squeaked.

"We're not gonna mug him." Stiles shot back nonchalantly. "We're just gonna talk to him."

"I think he thinks we're gonna mug him!" Scott continued to argue and he really did have a point. Three teenagers following you in a parking lot didn't exactly stand for something good. It was a little bit confusing but it wasn't anything good.

Stiles came to a stop and turned to face Scott. "I think if he thought we were going to mug him—" As if to conclude Scott's point, my eyes widened.

"Stiles, he's running!" I hissed a little bit louder than I needed to.

Stiles then sighed and then released my hand. "Get him."

Without hesitation, the two boys took off running. I blinked, literal dust being thrown in my eyes and my jaw hung slack with shock. I sputtered out a few words of protest but they were already to Dr Fenris. I swore loudly and then took off in a sprint, trying to catch up to my two friends and feeling the burn in my quads from not running in such a long time. I watched as Dr. Fenris dropped his briefcase and he looked like he was going to hold up his hand to tell them to stop but Scott and Stiles had no intention of doing so. Instead, they slammed into the man with such force it made me gasp and clamp my hands over my mouth.

"Idiots!" I shouted at them like an angry mother and then pulled Stiles off, wrapping my hands underneath his arms and tugging harshly. The man yelled out loudly from the ground.

"Here, take it!" He shouted, throwing his car keys at Scott while Stiles still sat on the ground, my hands holding on to him tightly. "Take the car! Take the wallet!" He threw the small leather pouch at Stiles and I gritted my teeth. "Take everything. Just don't hurt me!"

Stiles scrambled out of my grasp and held his hands up in surrender. "No, no, no, it's okay. It's okay. We're not gonna hurt you." Stiles said and then his gaze fell down to Dr. Fenris's palm which had been caught when they tackled him. "Again."

"We—we're sorry we just wanted to talk to you for a few minutes." Scott piled out, trying to sound sincere.

"About what?!" Dr. Fenris shouted and I frowned, stepping forward.

"Hey, let's bring the tone down from here,"—I held my hand high up in the air—"to here." I pulled it down to below my waist. The man glared at me and I glared right back with even more anger than he had. "Get up." I ordered and he did, his glare not leaving mine. Scott and Stiles got up as well and Stiles stepped towards me.

"Let's try not to scare him off with your intense and quite frankly terrifying attitude?" He whispered raising his eyebrows and I rolled my eyes before shrugging.

"Whatever." I muttered and then placed my hands on his hips. "We wanna talk about lycanthropy."

Dr. Fenris opened his trunk and put his coat and briefcase inside.

"Just a few questions, please?" Scott begged, obviously desperate for answers that this point. Dr. Fenris looked at him skeptically his jaw locked and then slammed the trunk shut.

"I'm sorry but no." The doctor answered with his voice stern and completely disappointing. I sighed and then pinched the bridge of my nose, trying not to punch this guy in the face. "I don't talk about that anymore."

"Please, it won't take long at all. Just a few questions." Scott tried again and Dr. Fenris looked at his watch before looking back up at Scott.

"I said no." He repeated but with more seriousness this time before walking passed the three of us and going to his car.

I let out a small huff of frustration and made a move to step forward but Stiles grabbed my arm, pulling me back lightly. I glanced over my shoulder at the two and sobered, swallowing thickly. I came to stand back in between Scott and Stiles as Dr. Fenris started his car and then backed out of his parking space. I glared at him through his window before he sped off, leaving us in a mix of exhaust and despair.

"Jackass," I mumbled, shaking my head as Stiles rubbed his chin.

"What now?" Scott asked, slapping his hands down at his sides and looking between Stiles and I.

Stiles was quiet for a few moments before sighing. "Plan B."

"Are we gonna regret Plan B?" I asked, referring to Scott and I.

"Only if we get caught." Stiles answered calmly with a shrug and I groaned, dropping my head down to my chest.

"I could be sleeping right now!" I whined and Stiles rolled his eyes.

"Just shut up and get in the Jeep."

* * *

 _Seriously, Tessa? Right now? Right now you internally fight with yourself to not freaking kiss Stiles? What the hell is wrong with you? Why the hell would you think about kissing Stiles? That's disgusting. Not really…YES IT IS!_

I quickly slapped myself in the forehead, a groan of regret slipping through my lips and making both of the boys shush me. I was currently stashed in the cramped, unbearable, back seat of Stiles's Jeep. My legs were pulled all the way to my chest, my kneecaps nearly cutting off my airway, and my arms were sprawled out at my sides, clutching onto the headrest of the backseat and then front seat. They were begging for me to relax, a fire blazing through my biceps and palms but I couldn't move or else Dr. Fenris would probably suspect something if he hadn't already. We were parked outside of his house, this being Stiles's Plan B.

Suddenly, the sound of a car turning on made everyone in the car jump. Soon enough, headlights flashed through the windows and the noise of the motor disappeared down the road. I let out a sigh of relief and then dropped my arms, sadly falling deeper into the crack between the front and back seat. I struggled to push myself out, kicking my feet and then shooting up out of my fetal position. I managed to stop myself from smacking my head on the ceiling and then climbed over the front seat to get out the passenger door Scott was holding open for me. I adjusted my hoodie and then huffed, whipping my hair out of my face.

"I already hate this plan. I vote to never let Stiles make plans ever again." I grumbled as we began to cross the street.

"I didn't hear you coming up with any better ideas." Stiles shot back and I decided not to argue any longer. I shoved my hands in the pocket of my jacket and glanced around nervously, as if someone were watching us. We made it across the road and then went through the back gate of the house.

"This is a bad idea." Scott whispered once Stiles shut the back gate and we were all inside Dr. Fenris's backyard.

"You say that about all my ideas." Stiles pointed out, pausing to look over his shoulder at his friend and then continuing on.

"Because they're all bad ideas." Scott argued back and I had to agree with him.

"Well you learn from more failures than success's." Stiles sarcastically said, throwing his arms up with both of his thumbs pointed in the air and I rolled my eyes at his lame smile. He turned around to continue on towards the house before Scott stopped him with his next comment.

"You must be a genius by now." He taunted and I couldn't help but let out a small snort of laughter. Scott held up a fist and I lightly tapped mine against his. I then proceeded to cover my mouth as Stiles slowly turned around, expertly executing Scott's pleasure in the situation. He had turned around, bobbing his head, and pressing his tongue to the inside of his cheek, still looking somewhat attractive to me in the hat. It defienently had something to do with the hat.

We went up the steps of the back-porch, Stiles going first and I going up last. I continued to glance around in paranoia, really not liking the plan. Stiles tried to door but, surprise, it was locked. He tried pulling it open but he didn't budge. Scott and I tried to look for other ways to get inside while Stiles thought. I had turned around, looking off into the backyard, when I felt elbows dig into my back.

"Jesus-" I hissed, bending over the railing before turning around to see what the hell had hit me. I nearly choked on my own air when I saw the scene in front of me. Stiles was removing his flannel, exposing his arms in which I'd never really seen before. He always wore jackets or long sleeved shirts, never just regular t-shirts. I hadn't realized how large his biceps were and I clenched my jaw, sucking in a deep breath through my nose. Scott gave me a curious look, raising an eyebrow and I glared at him.

Stiles wrapped the flannel around his fist and Scott gave a sly grin to Stiles who cocked his head to the side. "You sure about that?" Scott asked, placing his hands on his hips and giving an amused look towards his friend.

"It's just glass." Stiles pointed out, shrugging his shoulders. He took a deep breath as I stepped out of the way and then threw his arm down at the glass. His fist slammed against the clear solid but it didn't break whatsoever. Stiles stumbled backwards, bumping in to me and I caught him expertly as he squealed like a pig. He doubled over in my arms, not putting all his weight on me, but I held on to him awkwardly, patting his back. "Son of a mother freaking mmm," He cried out, holding onto his hand.

"There, there, it's just glass." I mumbled, trying to be soothing so he didn't punch me but I couldn't help but silently laugh at him. Scott grinned.

"And what did we learn from that failure?" He asked, holding his hands out at his sides like some game show host and Stiles stood up to his full height.

He laughed sarcastically. "That's funny." He mumbled, unwrapping the flannel from around his fist and I tried not to stare at the veins that popped out of his bicep and rubbed my eyes, internally screaming at myself. "Wolfs got jokes tonight." Stiles added on angrily, fluffing his flannel before putting it back on his body. He began looking for other ways to get inside but I ignored him as Scott bent down and lifted up the welcome mat. I saw silver keys underneath it and gave Scott a look of appreciation before kneeling down and grabbing the keys, tossing them up in my hand.

"Or we could do this?" I suggested, abruptly cutting of his mumbles of a plan. He turned around and saw the keys resting in my palm, stuttering incoherent words before nodding.

"That's a good find." He said, grabbing them from me and then unlocked the door into the doctor's house. He opened the door and we slowly made our way inside, closing it behind me after we'd all filed in.

"Okay, what are we looking for?" Scott asked as I descended further into the kitchen, looking at the counters and then stopping near the entryway to the rest of the house. I turned my body to face them and the door back outside, crossing my arms over my chest.

"In one of the videos he talked about doing years of research." Stiles answered, still keeping his voice low even if we were in the only people in the house. "Okay, so there's gotta be books, journals, photos—something."

"We're not just gonna steal them, are we?" Scott asked nervously, scratching the side of his head.

"No, we're just gonna get what we need and I'm gonna grab'em on my phone." Stiles answered, smiling proudly and then taking it out.

"Good plan." Someone said and I realized it wasn't either of the boys. My eyes widened with fear and my head snapped to the side, seeing who it was.

"Thank you." Stiles replied, obviously not realizing that it wasn't Scott or I who had said those words. I froze up, unable to speak, my mouth hanging open in fear. Shaky breath's came out of my nose when I realized I was looking straight down the barrel of a shiny black handheld pistol. Dr. Fenris looked deadly serious, his finger over the trigger and the safety defienently not on. I held my arms out at my sides, as if to tell him I was surrendering but there wasn't anything I could physically make myself do. I had somehow turned my entire body to face Dr. Fenris when everything had first happened which meant I was directly in his line of fire.

"Stiles," I finally managed to breathe out, finding my voice. "Scott,"

"Okay, uh, Tessa, don't move." Stiles tried to say but Dr. Fenris didn't agree.

"Get out!" He ordered, the gun getting closer to my chest as he advanced forward on me. The boys moved backwards and I shuffled in the same direction, trying to control the shaking in every single inch of my body. "Get out of my house right now."

I felt the gun brush against my hoodie covered chest and I gasped, holding my breath as if to move my chest farther away from the barrel. "Oh my God,"

"Uhh, absolutely." Stiles agreed and tried to run out but Scott grabbed his hand, stopping him from moving which made me stop. Dr. Fenris stopped as well and the gun was merely inches away from pressing up against me. Stiles flung his hands up in the air, trying to surrender himself.

"F—five minutes. Just five minutes, please." Scott begged, holding up one hand of his own. Because of the reminder of what we wanted, it spiked Dr. Fenris's anger which resulted in the gun now pressing on my chest and I squeezed my eyes shut, resisting the urge to cry. I clenched my fists, slowly raising them up in the air in the same surrender.

"If you cannot see the gun in my hand, pointed at your friend, I could recommend a good eye doctor otherwise get out of house or I will shoot her." He threatened and my eyes flung open, I let out a sharp exhale of breath and then stared down at the gun.

"Guys, I don't wanna die like this!" I shouted through gritted teeth, starting to find some composure.

"Just five minutes, please! We—we—we would not do this unless we had a really good reason." Scott tried again.

"I changed my name to get away from nutjobs like you who think this crap is real!" Dr. Fenris shouted, his finger twitching on the gun. I hadn't failed to notice the bandage wrapped around his hand.

"Wait, so you don't believe it?" Scott asked and it was like the gun was burning through my clothing and on to my chest.

"Of course not."

"Then why did you change your name?" I asked, trying to give him the most serious look I could muster at this point. "You changed your name to Fenris. We've done a lot of research buddy, which means we know what it means. I think you believe it." I said, Dr. Fennris looking down at me with confusion. "And…I don't think you're going to shoot me."

"Scott, do something." Stiles hissed, obviously worried by my boldness.

"How do you know that?" Dr. Fenris asked and moved the gun slightly on my chest, making me stiffen.

"You wouldn't kill an innocent teenager." I muttered. "And you're a doctor? You guys have some oath—do no harm?"

When I said the words, he clenched his jaw. Suddenly, the gun was removed from my chest and I let out a breath of relief, falling forward and placing my hands on my knees. Scott and Stiles scrambled forward, grabbing on to me and then shoving me behind them. Stiles kept his hand on me, it slightly shaking from the previous position I had been in.

"God, I hate that oath."

"I was living in Wisconsin. A woman was rushed into my ER—unconscious." Dr. Fenris bent down in front of a filing cabinet, pulling open one of the drawers. I looked around the room, taking in the odd décor consisting of numerous photos staring werewolves and cluttered bookshelves with papers literally falling out of them. I had taken a seat in between Scott and Stiles on the couch, both of them remaining fairly close to my after what happened earlier. Even I was still on edge, constantly rubbing my chest as if the gun was still poised there. Stiles flipped excitedly through a book while Scott and I listened to Dr. Fenris. "I was told it was a hunting accident. That an arrow intended for a white-tailed deer hit her instead. We removed the arrow and she woke up. Three minutes later, the wound was gone."

"You mean it healed." Stiles corrected quietly after we'd all exchanged a round of looks. Dr. Fenris looked away from us, staring down at the floor.

"As if it never happened." He added on cryptically. There were a few awkward beats of silence where we simply glanced around the room. Then, Dr. Fenris pulled out a leather bound book from the drawer of the filing cabinet. "I learned two things that day. There are some people in this world who heal with an ability that science can't explain. That's what it means to somebody who's as dedicated to life as healing. It's like catching a glimpse of the Holy Grail."

"What's the second thing?" Scott asked as we looked up earnestly at the doctor who now loomed over us. He had opened the book/file and was flipping through it.

"There's also some people in this world who want to kill them." Dr. Fenris answered and I blinked, slightly stunned by his nonchalantly way of speech at this point. This finally grasped Stiles attention and he settled his eyes on Dr. Fenris along with the rest of us. "Wanna guess why they use an arrow?"

Stiles picked up a piece of paper off the coffee table and held it up in the air. I looked down at it and saw an arrow stabbed into the arm of the large beast on the paper. "It wouldn't heal until it was taken out."

"They also cut them in half." Dr. Fenris said, glancing up at us and making me shift uncomfortably beside Scott. Scott had been shot with an arrow by Chris Argent. If that did work, would Mr. Argent cut Scott in half? Was that their tactic? "Severed the body, there's no way it'll heal."

"Well obviously not. Werewolves can heal, not rise from the dead." I said, shaking my head and rubbing my chin, Stiles jabbing me lightly in the side with an elbow, silently telling me to be courteous with my chose of words.

"Why did they want them dead?" Scott asked, the question had never been asked in our heads before.

"Fear of the unknown." Dr. Fenris answered calmly. It made sense yet that thought had never occurred to us. "Fear of something more powerful than yourself." He paused, pulling a picture from the book but not showing it to us. "Well, I can't imagine why anybody would be afraid of someone like this. I spent five years looking for her. Found her here in Beacon Hills and then she disappeared." He then placed a black and white photo of a woman down in front of us. "All I found was an old photograph of her and a young man. Probably her son." I leaned in closer to the photo to see who the boy was in the back.

"No way," I breathed out, blinking in confusion. It was all coming together—chiseled jaw, spiked black hair, stone cold eyes. It was Derek. I decided not to say anything; no one noticed my previous words.

"When I connected the woman to the werewolf myth, I found that there were differences between those born and those bitten." Dr. Fenris set his phone down near his laptop and then opened it up, Scott and I turning around to watch him. "Those families who are born into it were said to have a ritual once a year with the wolf moon."

"The what now?" I asked, cocking up an eyebrow and giving a confused look to the doctor who had pulled up the picture on his phone on his laptop to get a bigger view.

"The Native Americans gave every full moon a name. Uh, February's the ice moon. Storm moon in March." Stiles explained and I glanced at him over my shoulder, knowing he'd defienently down his research.

"They call January the Wolf Moon because hungry wolves would howl outside the villages in mid-winter." Dr. Fenris added on, digging in a drawer of his desk, and Stiles turned his head to look at the doctor now along with Scott and I.

"What was the ritual?" He asked, referring to the previous explanation from Dr. Fenris.

"It's like a family reunion. They would get together and perform the rites of passage. They would draw power from one another. Supposedly they were stronger together in packs—the alpha, the beta, and then the omega is the lowest of the wolves. They all each contributed to the strength of the pack. They each—dammit!" He slammed his hand down his desk and I jumped, Stiles instantly placing a hand out over me as if he were going to attack me again. Without thinking, I instinctively grabbed onto his arm and dug my fingers into the blue colored flannel. Scott had also gotten closer to me in an almost protective stance.

"Are you okay?" Scott asked nervously, considering the outburst wasn't normal.

"My housekeeper doesn't want me to smoke so she's hiding my cigarettes." Dr. Fenris answered and I exhaled deeply, moving my hand down to clasp Stiles's hand in mine without thinking once again. He didn't seem to mind either, giving me a small squeeze and glancing at me.

"You're a doctor and you smoke cigarettes?" Stiles taunted that stupid smile on that stupid face of his that made me get stupid feelings in my stupid head. Dr. Fenris placed his hand on his hip and then turned to face us.

"You know I think your five minutes are up." He said and we all reluctantly agreed, nodding and turning back around on the couch.

"I know just, um, one more question." Scott quickly said, turning back around to look at the doctor. "Is there a cure?"

"For what?" Dr. Fenris asked and this perked my attention once more. I'd almost forgotten what we were here about in the first place.

"You said there's—there's differences between werewolves who are bit. C—can he, uh, or her, whoever it may be—can they be cured?" Scott stammered out, obviously not trying to let on that he was a werewolf himself.

"Yes." The doctor answered and my heart leapt in my throat. "Cut them in half."

"Shit," I groaned, pinching the bridge of my nose with my free hand and sinking back into the couch.

"Death cures all animals." Dr. Fenris said but that wasn't the answer we wanted to hear. I wasn't sure what I was expecting to hear anyways. "Look, I'm sorry. I researched this for fifteen years. I've never heard of a cure. Really, why are you so interested in this? It's just a myth. It's a legend."

"You sure about that?" Stiles asked, looking over his shoulder at Dr. Fenris.

"I am beyond sure." Dr. Fenris answered but I smiled down into my lap, knowing that he was beyond wrong. "I had the certainty of someone who was completely and totally destroyed his personal and his professional reputation for some _idiotic_ obsession!"

"Oh, don't talk about yourself like that." I mumbled, looking over my shoulder now too and Dr. Fenris looked down at me with a wave of confusion.

"Do you have any idea what it's like to feel that you've ruined your whole life? It's one thing to blame others but it's another thing when you did it to yourself." Dr. Fenris continued on, trying to ignore me but I understood exactly who he was talking about. "God, I need a cigarette. You're five minutes are up!"

* * *

 **AN: Wow that was very, very long chapter. I know I haven't been putting much Stiles/Tessa action into the story lately so I decided to give some here! I'm still making her extremely confused with her emotions but slowly but surely she's starting to understand something. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Love you all!**


	23. Chapter 23

My vision blurred for a moment as the car jerked to the left. My entire body flew towards the side of the vehicle, slamming into the leather and plastic wall. I let out a small groan, falling onto my side, and clutching onto the spot where I'd been assaulted.

"Okay, let's not kill Tessa tonight!" Stiles nearly shrieked from the front seat, holding onto the ceiling and looking frantically between the mirror and Scott. "I would really, really not advise that!"

"Do you wanna drive?!" Scott shouted back just as fearfully from the driver's seat, not daring to take his eyes off the road. I pushed myself up onto my knees, holding on to the back of Stiles's seat and then looking through the back window.

"Damn, does she have to drive so fast?" I muttered, holding up my free hand to block my eyes from the blinding headlights of Kate's car. "Scott, let's go!"

"I'm trying!"

"What you're _trying_ to do is kill me!" I shot back angrily, flailing my arms and looking oddly like Stiles. "Why the hell did Derek let you drive?"

"Maybe because he doesn't trust anyone else with his car?" Scott tried but I rolled my eyes, snorting bitterly and Stiles shrugged his shoulders.

"I'm pretty sure Derek likes Tessa more than the rest of us." Stiles answered for me and Scott gripped the steering wheel tightly, obviously agreeing. "I—I don't know where you pulled that argument from."

"Maybe from his ass. Where his driving is also coming from because Kate is literally right behind us!" I informed the werewolf once again, glancing through the back window and running a hand through my hair.

"You are literally sarcastic Tessa on steroids and it's kind of freaking me out." Stiles mumbled, turning around to face me from his seat.

"I'm pretty sure my heart is going to be right out of my chest because I know that if any of us get caught, Kate will kill us. Sarcasm is literally the only thing keeping me from crying and possibly screaming right now so take it or leave it, Stilinski." I snapped, holding my hands out at my sides and pressing my lips tightly together. Stiles nodded curtly and then whipped around back in his seat.

After my fight with Andre, it left us in a spot we had never experienced before and, although neither of us liked to admit it, we really didn't like it. Considering Andre believed I didn't trust her, which I really did, she decided to just stop talking to be me in general. It made a point. If she couldn't talk to me without me lying, what was the point in having a conversation with me at all? It crushed me to just watch her walk right passed me on her way to her bedroom but there wasn't anything I could do about. Sure you'd say I could just tell her about werewolves but then that would mean the alpha coming after her. And maybe the fact that she wouldn't freaking believe me and hate me more for it. She'd defienently thinking I was screwing with her then and I couldn't have her hate me for the rest of our lives. I'd tried to blame my sketchy-ness on werewolves. Right…

Of course we'd gotten into small fights here and there but never something like this. I had yelled at her, told her I didn't want to talk about it, and she left. Usually, she stuck around and we hugged it out but we'd never had to fight about my truthfulness to her. I'd been honest with her countless times, but that was before werewolves. I didn't blame Scott or Stiles or even Derek. I would never blame them. I would only have myself to blame at this point. I had poked and prodded, begged and whined. I got what I wanted and then vowed to do everything I wanted to help—even if it meant tearing my relationship apart with my sister. Sadly, it looked like the same was happening with Scott at home. He'd stopped talking to his mom—probably because he had nothing else to talk about beyond the supernatural. He'd broken up with Allison which meant there were no new things happening between them. Anything involving Stiles and I also involved werewolves. I'd even lied to her except, she didn't even seemed phased by it. I felt like I was lying to everyone at this point—Allison, Lydia, Andre.

I'd barely hung out with Allison and Lydia lately. Sure I'd talked to Allison a little but she didn't hang around Scott anymore which meant I was now floating in between. Lydia was almost separating herself from me. It might be because she thinks I'm lying to her too or maybe even because she just needs space. Last time we'd spoken, I was scolding her for kissing Scott. I wasn't even sure if she'd talked to Allison about it yet but I would know until Monday at school. I wanted to hang out with them again but I felt like I never even had time. We texted back and forth but it consisted of either long conversations or quick chats because I was busy dealing with werewolf business. I wondered what they were thinking. Were they thinking I'd replaced them with Stiles and Scott? Or worse…did they not even realize we were drifting apart?

One thing that I learned about being part of supernatural world, aside from losing friendships and relationships, was that you could never, ever get a full 8 hours of asleep without worrying about werewolves, fighting some, helping some, or even simply getting home in enough time to sleep until school started the next morning. I wasn't confused as to why I was so exhausted and I figured even Andre noticed that I was turning into some slow-moving zombie that left in the evening and returned in the wee hours of the morning. Scott and Stiles and I had the luxury of hiding from our guardians. They didn't know we stayed out that late or came back in the early hours of the morning. Andre worked late night shifts now considering she worked at the hospital which helped in the lying department. So, when the night after we came back from the Dr. Fenris diabolical, I was extremely appreciative that Mrs. McCall, Mr. Stilinski, and Andre were all working. I'd have to make up some lie to save my ass but the real truth was that for hours, I had been tossed around in the back of a black Camaro because Derek Hale had trusted Scott to drive his car while Kate Argent away from Derek.

Scott shifted gears and slammed his foot down on the gas. The car sped off down the small piece of road in the middle of freaking nowhere. I would give him an ear-full later about getting caught by the police in the first place but obviously I couldn't do that if he was running his ass off in the middle of the night. I was praying to God that Kate would recognize me in the backseat so I kept my head out of her line of sight. Lord only knows what would have happened between Allison and I if Kate saw me with them.

"Okay, Scott, I don't think you're grasping the concept of the car here." Stiles muttered weakly, seeing that Kate was getting ultimately closer to the Camaro.

"If I go any faster, I'll kill us." Scott replied back with a small amount of irritation but there was more fear lacing his tone.

"Well if you don't go faster, they're gonna kill us!" Stiles shouted back angrily, jutting his thumb in the direction of Kate and we knew damn well she wasn't alone. The engine revved again and Scott slammed his foot down harder on the gas, shifting the gear once more which made the car got a lot faster than what we had been going before.

"Derek better thank us for this!" I snapped from the backseat, scooting out of the headlights that continued to shine through the window. It felt like the beams were burning my skin, making me like some sort of vampire. Suddenly, the sound of tires squealing against pavement sounded and the headlights disappeared from the car.

"They're gone." Stiles muttered quietly and my eyes widened, scrambling forward and nearly pressing my nose against the back window.

"Oh, that is so not good." I thought aloud and Stiles and Scott sputtered.

"Wha—how is that not good? We got her off our tail." Stiles protested, twisting around in his seat to look at me and I whipped back around, facing him.

"That's because she got on a different tail—Derek's!" I squealed, throwing my hands out at my sides and making Stiles's own eyes widen with fear. He wheeled back around in his seat and picked up the walkie-talkie attached to the police station, switching it on so that we could fully grasp the situation.

 _"All units, suspect is on foot heading into the ironworks."_ The radio voice informed us and I groaned in frustration, clapping a hand to my forehead.

"That's perfect. We're nowhere near the ironworks." I pointed out, letting my hand slide of my head and then fall into my lap before looking back up at the two boys. "Kate's already got a lead. She's gonna be there way before us."

"Okay, let's just keep pointing out the painfully obvious here, right Tessa?" Stiles sarcastically chirped from the front seat, throwing his hands up and then glaring at me through the rearview mirror. I rolled my eyes and then collapsed in the back seat, bouncing my leg and pressing my tongue to the inside of my cheek.

"At least I know what the obvious is…"

"Okay, now that—that is just rude. You're basically calling me stupid."

"I call you stupid all the time, dumbass!"

"I—I think I can get to it from here fast enough." Scott stammered out and shifted the gear for the last time. I barely had time to brace myself when the car veered right and my entire being flung to the other side of the car.

I smacked my side onto the hard wall and then let out a loud groan, clutching onto my arm and biting down my lips. "Holy mother of God! Would you quit that!?"

"They have seatbelts for a reason!" Scott defended from the driver seat, shaking his head frantically. I searched for one and then huffed.

"Apparently Derek likes to live on the edge. There are no seatbelts!" I argued, slamming my hands down on the seats in front of me. I stuck my head in between them, staring through the windshield as we drove through a dark alley way I had never seen before. Suddenly, it wasn't dark anymore when flashes of light came from in front of us. Sparks rained down and I could make out that we had in fact made it to what looked like the ironworks. Stiles scrambled in the backseat and I scooted out of his way, helping him to sit down beside me.

"Get in!" Scott ordered as Stiles pushed open the door from behind. The black Camaro door swung open and I clamped my hands over my ears when sounds of gunshots pierced through the air. I looked to the source of the noise and saw Chris Argent with a giant ass gun, shooting in Derek's general direction. Derek was running across the open-space, his hands over his head, before jumping to the passenger seat. He slammed the door shut but the gunfire didn't stop. Multiple bullets hit the car but they didn't go through, bouncing right off the pretty black metal. I hadn't even realized that I'd literally thrown myself into Stiles's arms but we casually scooted away from each other.

"What part of laying low don't you understand?!" Scott instantly scolded, tires screeching as we peeled away from the ironworks.

Derek slammed his hands down on his dash, making me jump. "Dammit, I had him!"

"Who, the alpha?" Stiles asked, swinging forward and throwing almost half his body in between the seats to face Derek who flopped back dramatically in his seat.

"Yes! He was right in front of me and the freaking police showed up." Derek snapped, clenching his jaw and shaking his head.

"Yeah, thanks Scotty Boy!" I cheered sarcastically from the back seat, earning glares from both Derek and Scott in the rearview mirror.

"Can we seriously get passed that?" Scott whined from the driver seat. "I made a dumbass mistake, I get it!"

"Dumbass? How about complete, utter, humiliating, undyingly idiotic terrible, awful, dangerous mistake, huh?" I spat, pulling Stiles out from in between the seats and shoving myself in between them. I turned my head towards Scott who nearly gave me a death glare but I was suddenly pulled back and Stiles inserted himself in between them.

"Okay!" He shouted, waving his arms and effectively ending the argument. "How did you find him?" Stiles asked, looking back to Derek.

To my surprise, but not really, Derek looked at Scott and Stiles but didn't answer. He kept his lips pressed together tightly and I rolled my eyes in annoyance, resisting the urge to yell at him. "Can you try to trust us for at least half a second?" Scott ordered with a small hint of irritation.

"Yeah, both of us." Stiles tacked on and Derek gave him the death glare. "Or just him. I'll be back here."

"Wha—how come you trust Tessa and not us?" Scott squeaked and Derek cocked up an eyebrow, glancing at me through the rearview mirror but I shrugged innocently.

"I don't trust her. I just like her more than you two." Derek admitted and I raised my own eyebrows in surprise, nodding slowly and taking pride in that. Stiles frowned deeply, a glare settling on the back of Derek's head. "Look, the last time I talked to my sister, she was close to figuring something out. She found two things. The first was a guy named Harris."

Stiles shot forward, slamming his elbow into my arm, but ignoring my loud curse. "Our chemistry teacher?" He clarified, shoving himself in between the seats once more.

"Why him?" Scott asked.

"I—I don't know yet." Derek answered in frustration.

"What's the second thing?" I asked quietly from the backseat, picking at some strings on my hoodie while Stiles took up all the space in the middle.

Derek then proceeded to reach in his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. "Some kind of symbol…"

I grabbed Stiles shoulders and then pulled him back to look at the paper. Once my eyes landed on it, I furrowed my brow, and then frowned, snatching it from Derek's hands. "That's weird. This looks like—"

"Allison's necklace." Scott finished for me and I turned my head towards him, the same look in our eyes. What the hell did The Argent's have to do with the alpha? Let alone, why the hell was Allison wearing the necklace with this symbol on it?

"Oh that's just peachy." I breathed out nervously, slowly recoiling into my seat.

"I need to get that necklace." Derek said, looking at Scott and I expectantly.

"In case you forgot, Allison and Scott aren't together anymore. She barely even speaks to him." I said to Derek and then patted Scott on the shoulder. "Sorry dude."

"Well you're still friends with her, right?" Derek asked, raising his eyebrows.

"That is if Kate didn't see me in the back of your Camaro but considering I'm not being hunted down her family, I guess so yeah." I replied, shrugging my shoulder and making Derek roll his eyes in aggravation.

"Then I need you to get the necklace."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa—" I interrupted holding up my hands. "I—I can't get her necklace, are you kidding me? She barely let me touch it when she first got it."

"Well then Scott has to get it." Derek tried once more and I sighed.

"Derek, the only way we'd get the necklace was if…" I trailed off and then carefully eyed Derek in the rearview mirror. "You want us to steal it."

"Hm, maybe you do have common sense." Derek jabbed and I growled, looking out the back window of the Camaro.

"How the hell are we supposed to steal it from her if she wears it all the time?" Stiles asked, making me look back towards the group.

"I don't know. Derek, since you're the one with all the bright ideas, why don't you tell us?" I chirped cynically and Derek turned in his seat, giving me one of his famous death glares that I was too familiar with. I simply leaned forward and glared right back at him, except with probably not as much ferocity.

"Holy crap—how are you doing that?" Stiles muttered, obviously surprised that I wasn't cowering away from Derek.

"I'm not scared of him." I answered calmly, shrugging my shoulder. "I'm not going to steal her necklace because your sister drew it."

"Do you want to find out who the alpha is?" Derek asked, keeping his voice in a low and menacing tone.

"Sure, why not?" I countered with a small smirk and Derek clenched his jaw before whipping his head away from me.

"Tessa, you don't have to do anything. I—I can take care of it." Scott suggested, shaking his head and glancing at me through the rearview mirror.

"And how exactly do you plan to do that?" I inquired while cocking up and eyebrow and crossing my arms over my chest.

"She—she has a swimming class!" Scott pointed out with excitement. "She'll take it off then. I'll take it then."

"And what if she sees you trying to take it?"

"Let's not try to jump to conclusions here, alright? He's got a plan, I say let's go for it." Stiles interjected, giving me a look which I returned with a scowl.

"It's easy for you to say. You don't have to steal a prized possession from your best friend." I scoffed and Stiles shrugged his shoulders.

"I did steal Scott's Teen Titan action figures in the fifth grade." He replied nonchalantly and Scott gasped from his seat.

"You did what?!" He nearly shrieked, making me grimace. "Wha—how—I can't believe you!"

"Scott that was like five years ago, let it go, dude." I muttered, shaking my head.

"How about we all shut the hell up and talk about the real problem here?" Derek snapped from the front seat, effectively ending our argument. "We need to get the necklace from Allison. Can you two get it or not?"

Pursing my lips and rubbing my chin, I reluctantly nodded. "Sure, yeah, we can try." I answered and Derek nodded curtly, accepting the answer. I sighed and then shut my eyes, leaning back against the seats. I dropped my hands down in to my lap and just a few seconds later, I felt someone's hand over my mine. Opening back up my eyes, I looked over to see Stiles looking at me with sympathy.

"You okay?" He asked quietly and I swallowed before shrugging.

"Not really. I'm lying to everyone. My sister's pissed at me. I'm stealing from my best friend. And now I'm harboring a fugitive at only sixteen." I answered and Derek cracked his neck in the passenger seat. "Not to mention, I was held at gunpoint two days ago."

"She was what?" Derek then muttered, turning his head slowly to face Scott.

"Uh, uh, nothing. It was just some weird dream she had." Scott lied, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly but Derek could hear his heartbeat.

"You let someone point a gun at her?" Derek dangerously muttered once more and Stiles dropped his head in his hands, groaning.

"Why do you care so much, Derek?" Stiles mumbled in his hands, refusing to make eye contact with the angry wolf in the seat directly in front of him.

"If she dies, I will personally kill both of you. I only stand you two because of Tessa." Derek answered and this caught me slightly off guard. I blinked and Stiles lifted his head up from his hands, shooting me a confused glance. No one spoke after that, letting the words hang in the air like a disgusting cough. Even Scott was a little confused but no one dared ask Derek what the hell? He'd probably kill us all if we tried. Still, I couldn't help but think that there was something I wasn't seeing here. Not in the romantic sense but it was sort of like he knew me my entire life. What the hell?

* * *

"Wow, why are you here?" I muttered, squinting my eyes against the bright light that had just collided with my face and rolled around awkwardly in my bed.

"There has been lack of communication between us. I don't like it." Lydia answered, stomping around my room and digging through my clothes. "Believe it or not, I kind of miss your sarcasm and impeccable taste in clothing."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" I asked, cocking up an eyebrow and pushing myself up by my arms. Lydia snorted and tossed shirts over her shoulder.

"When do I ever make you feel better? That's your job." She replied back but there was something off about her tone. It was like it was more directed towards her than me. She'd tried to mask her words to make it sound like she was just being casual, bitchy Lydia but instead, I saw right through it. She was basically telling me that she didn't need to make me feel better, I needed to make her feel better and that worried me.

Instead of turning around to face me, she scooped up the discarded shirts and threw them in a pile beside my closet, storming inside to discover more clothes. I swung my legs over the side of my bed and turned my head to look down towards my alarm clock. It was just a few minutes passed six and I sighed, feeling the fatigue slowly settling in. I rubbed my eyes, yawning and remembering last night. I wasn't looking forward today in the slightest. I had to try and steal my best friend's necklace and I still had no clue how I was going to do that. Scott seemed to have an idea but I had not a single one. I debated going to her house and taking it from her there but I was afraid I'd never make it out alive. I wasn't absolutely sure that Mr. Argent and Kate hadn't seen me last night and I wasn't willing to take any chances. If I was dead, there was no way I was getting that necklace and there was no way we were going to ever find out who the alpha was.

Lydia strutted out my closet, holding an outfit in her hands. It was a long sleeved, slightly over-sized shirt covered in black and white stripes. There were a pair of dark denim shorts with small rips by the pockets and then a pair of high-topped white converse. Lydia had made sure to add her taste and mine combined and I didn't argue with her. I actually liked the outfit.

"Are you playing my mother today?" I taunted, getting up from the bed and taking the clothes from her. Lydia rolled her eyes, taking a seat in my desk chair.

"I always play the mother. You are simply the child." She retorted and I chuckled, setting the clothes down on my bed and brushing through my hair. "And I needed to spend some quality time with my very best friend before school."

"And you are trying to avoid Allison, aren't you?" I asked her, looking at the redhead through my mirror and she frowned slightly, her green eyes flickering away from me. "Lydia, you can't hide from her forever."

"I'm not hiding from her." Lydia argued, shaking her head. "I'm just…trying to figure out what to say. I don't know how to even bring it up to her."

"I would agree it's not easy to tell your best friend that you made out with her ex-boyfriend whom she's still in love with because you were feeling, er, lonely." I explained, shrugging my shoulder and making Lydia sigh.

"Why are you such a pain in my ass?" She bit out, flipping strawberry blonde locks over her shoulders and smacking her lips.

"Why are you still my friend then?" I countered as turned around to grab the clothes off my bed.

"You and Allison are the hottest girls in the school. Why not be friends with you?" Lydia replied and she smirked, making me roll my eyes. I stepped into my closet to change my clothes before coming back out in the outfit.

"How are you and Jackson?" I asked testily, glancing at her out of the corner of my eye while I started my curling iron. Lydia instantly stiffened, her pink lips pressing hard together in a straight line, and her green eyes practically going blank. When she realized that she'd done that, she exhaled deeply and then shrugged.

"I don't know." She answered truthfully, dropping her chin down to her chest and staring down the floor. "He seems so…invested in Allison lately. I don't understand."

I paused when reaching for my hairbrush again. I knew why Jackson was interested in Allison. It was because of Scott. Jackson hated Scott for an unknown reason and the way to get to Scott was through Allison. It bothered me to no end but I couldn't tell Lydia. "You know how I feel. I think Jackson's an asshole." I replied to her with a girly sigh and grabbing the hairbrush.

"Yes, Tessa, I know how you feel about Jackson." Lydia drawled out with a dramatic roll of her eyes. She crossed her legs and placed them in her lap. "How are you and Stiles?"

"What?" I instantly snapped, twisting my head to look over my shoulder at the girl. Lydia smirked, pleased by my reaction, and straightened in her seat.

"Oh, come on. You know? Are you two together yet?" She asked and I frowned, turning all the way around to face her.

"Lydia, what the hell are you talking about?" I snorted bitterly, shaking my head and she studied her nails, shrugging one shoulder.

"It's painfully obvious that you two have a thing for each other."

"How is it painfully obvious? We literally argue all the time." I pointed out, checking my curling iron and then beginning to curl my hair.

"True but it's that I hate you I love you arguing." She explained calmly and my grip tightened around the handle of the iron. "Even Allison thinks so too."

"Well you guys are looking at it all wrong." I scoffed, glaring at myself in the mirror. I wouldn't let Allison and Lydia think I liked Stiles. Sure I'd had some weird thoughts the other night about him but at this point, my feelings were still shoved all the way down to the darkest pits of the world.

"Oh, sure we are. Good luck convincing us that you don't like Stiles." Lydia snickered and I inhaled deeply before releasing the breath. I swallowed before pressing my tongue to the back of my teeth. I carefully set down the iron and spun around before I could regret the next words.

"I don't like Stiles. I know I don't like Stiles because I like…Isaac." I proclaimed, tipping my chin up at her. My brain was screaming at me—telling me this was a bad idea but there was no going back from it now especially since Lydia looked like she actually believed me. "I like Isaac Lahey."

"You like who now?" Lydia asked, a slight concussed look crossing her features. She dropped her hand down into her lap. "Tessa, who the hell is Isaac Lahey?"

"He plays on the lacrosse team." I answered, shrugging my shoulder. "I sat with him at lunch when you decided to ditch me and he was really nice. Cute too."

"Wha—how could you not tell me about him!?" Lydia squeaked, throwing her hands up in the air. "I'm pretty sure this is valuable information to me!"

"Well our lack of communication has kind of made it hard to tell you." I defended innocently, finishing curling one side of my hair. "And it isn't that big of a deal. I'm pretty sure he doesn't even like me back."

Lydia let out a growl of frustration before placing a clenched first on her forehead. "What do you mean it's not that big of a deal? Of course it is! You do understand that the formal is coming up right? You _still_ don't have a date."

"So?" I mumbled, shrugging a shoulder. "I don't even know if I want to go. Dances haven't ever been my thing."  
"But they are _my_ thing!" Lydia snapped, pointing a finger to her chest. "And I will rue the day where you don't go because they aren't _your thing_."

"Hm, now you starting to sound like some evil villain." I claimed, bobbing my eyebrows. "It suits you. The red hair makes it more realistic."

Lydia groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose with her perfectly manicured fingers and shook her head. "I'm not even sure why I bother with you anymore. You're hopeless."

"I am weeping with sadness. Oh great Lydia Martin, please help me." I drawled out in monotone voice. I could see Lydia practically fuming from behind me and I finished with my hair, beginning my makeup which consisted of only a few things.

"You are going the winter formal whether you like it or not." Lydia declared seriously. "And you will go with Isaac Lahey. I will make sure of it."

"Lydia, you really don't have to do that." I chuckled out nervously, closing the tube of mascara and turning around to look at her.

"Oh yes I do. No friend of mine will show up at the dance with me without a date." Lydia chuckled back but she had more ferocity in her voice. "You're going and you are going with your crush because you deserve to be happy with a boy for once."

"I have guy friends that I'm happy with. Is that not enough?" I asked her, slinging my backpack over my shoulders and raising my eyebrows.

"What? You mean Scott and Stiles?" Lydia scoffed before lightly slapping me in the shoulder. "You're not romantically involved with either of them therefore you aren't happy with a boy."

"And you sending me to the formal with Isaac will make me happy with a boy?" I clarified and she nodded earnestly, ushering me out of my bedroom to get downstairs. "Wow, how kind of you Lydia."

"No need to remind me." Lydia chirped as we went down my large flight of stairs. She linked arms with me as we went outside towards her car. "Wouldn't want you to wear it out, sweetie."

"Don't call me sweetie."

"You don't tell me what to do. That's not how this relationship works." Lydia snorted, walking around to the driver side of the car.

"That's kind of unhealthy you know? Relationships like that end in violence." I explained, climbing into the car myself. Lydia rolled her eyes and then started the car, driving off down the street.

* * *

"It's gonna be impossible you know?" Scott said to Stiles and I as we entered the school through the front doors.

"Why don't you just ask her if you can borrow it?" Stiles suggested and I rolled my eyes, giving him a small glare.

"How?" Scott asked, rolling his shoulders and throwing his head back slightly.

"It's easy. You just say, "Hey Allison, can I borrow your necklace…" Stiles paused and I waited for him to finish. "…to see if there's anything on it or in it…that can lead me to an alpha werewolf that I need to kill in order to get back together with you?"." Stiles finished off quickly and quietly.

"You're not helping!" Scott snapped, glaring at Stiles and I glanced around the hallway, trying spot the brunette.

"Why don't you just talk to her?" Stiles asked and I slapped him in the shoulder, making him look over at me.

"We've been over this, moron. She won't talk to him. He's practically invisible to her." I pointed out, raising my eyebrows expectantly before grimacing and looking back towards Scott. "Once again, sorry dude."

"What if she only takes it off in the shower or something?" Scott groaned, rubbing his forehead.

"That why you ease—" Stiles paused for a second, swallowing. "That's why you ease back into it, okay? Get back on the good side." Stiles stopped in front of Scott who was now staring up at the ceiling. "Remind her of the good times and then you ask for the necklace. You're thinking about her in the shower, aren't you?"

"Yeah."

"Alright, that is my cue to leave!" I clapped my hands together and grasped both of their attention. "You two have fun getting the necklace. I'm going to class."

"But don't you have to help get the necklace too?" Scott asked, furrowing his brow and shaking his head as I slowly began to back up.

"Well you see, I'm working on it. And by working on it, I mean—" I spun on my heel and took of sprinting down the hallway, shoving through people and weaving through the crowd of kids in the place. I could hear Scott and Stiles calling my name but I ignored them, continuing to run down the hallway. I skidded around the corner but suddenly, I slammed into a hard chest. I stumbled backwards, my hair flying around me and I held my arms out at my sides, trying to steady myself but then a hand clamped around my wrist. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to—Jackson?"

Upon seeing the boy, I felt a small flurry of panic rise up inside me. I hadn't spoken to him in a few days, purposely trying to avoid him after what happened at the lacrosse field just before the night at the school. He had more color to his skin but he was still awfully pale, the cuts on the back of his neck still coming to mind. There was a sadistic smirk plastered on his face and his eyes twinkled with some newfound confidence I had never seen before. His hand was tight around my arm as he slowly helped me steady myself, the action being somewhat unfamiliar to me.

"Late?" He asked what with my running into him like a horse. I opened and closed my mouth like a fish, glancing around wildly as I tried to explain why exactly I was running to my neck class. "Actually, it doesn't matter. I actually have to talk to you about something else."

"Jackson, I really have to go." I mumbled, trying to jerk my arm out of his grasp but he held on tight, his fingers wrapping around my entire wrist and making me look him in the eyes. "Jackson, let go of me. I don't wanna hurt you again."

Jackson chuckled, shaking his head at the ground. "You think you scare me, Tessa? You and your little attitude?" He asked smugly, cocking his head to the side. I swallowed thickly, taking a deep breath and trying not to show him I was terrified.

"What do you want from me?" I demanded, keeping my voice even and trying not to make a scene in the middle of the hallway. As if Jackson realized we were in a crowded area, he jerked me to his side. He let go of my wrist but then his arm wrapped tightly around my shoulders, essentially pinning me to his body. I'd never been this close to Jackson but I had to admit, I hated it. I disliked it in so many more ways than one. Jackson took me off to the side of the hallway, hiding in between people, and I hoped Scott or Stiles or even Allison were around to see me.

"It's not something that I want from you. It's something that you need to get for me." Jackson replied, my back pressing against the lockers and his arms on either side of me. To other people, it looked like Jackson was simply flirting with me so they paid no mind. "You're friends with Scott, right?"

I bit down on my bottom lip and looked up at him. "W—why?" I stammered breathlessly, trying to contain the massive amounts of nerves flooding into every single inch of my body.

"I know what he is." Jackson bluntly stated with a grin and I shook my head.

"I don't know what you're talking about." I said confidently, standing up to my full height and becoming almost level with Jackson. "If you mean he's a better lacrosse player than you, then yeah, I agree."

Jackson snorted bitterly and kept that ugly grin on his face. "You're so stupid, Tessa. I don't understand why everyone thinks you're so smart." He taunted and I glared at him, locking my jaw. "Allison seems to think you're so brave when really, you're weaker than the rest of them."

"I will punch you in the face again." I threatened, giving him a serious look and he chuckled, glancing around.

"I actually don't believe you wouldn't. But if you did, let's remember the consequences. You live with your sister, right? And if I'm correct, if you get any suspensions or get into any fights, things go really downhill for you two." Jackson explained and I snapped, placing my hands on his chest and shoving him backwards away from me. I kept my hands balled at my sides and glared at him as he stumbled backwards, holding up his hands in mock surrender and laughing. "I guess I'm right."

"Screw off, Jackson."

"I'm not done yet." He argued, shaking his head and letting his laugh die down. "I need you to get whatever Scott got to me."

"What the hell are you talking about?" I barked, flipping locks of brown hair out of my face and letting my blue eyes glare at him.

"Get me the bite, the scratch, the—the blood, whatever the hell it is. I want it." Jackson declared and my eyes widened slightly at his declaration. "See, now you know what I'm talking about."

"No." I shook my head. "No, I won't get shit for you."

"I knew you probably wouldn't want to so I made some arrangements." Jackson sighed, shrugging his shoulder. He then wrapped his arm around me once more and turned me in another direction of the hallway. We were soon facing Allison who was talking to another girl, smiling and laughing. "If you don't help Scott get what I want or get it yourself, I'll make sure she finds out too."

I stiffened underneath his touch and Jackson smirked, releasing me from his hold. He stepped in front of me, bent down, and placed a firm kiss to my cheek. I jerked away from him and he chuckled before sauntering off down the hallway. When I looked up again, I saw that Scott was standing at his locker, watching me with a terrified expression. Shit was about to get real.

* * *

 **AN: DUN DUN DUNNNNNN! Jackson knows, ah! I'm pretty sure you guys all knew that but it's okay, I can still be dramatic about it. I really enjoyed writing this chapter, especially the beginning! A lot of things were revealed in this chapter and I wanted to shed some light on the Derek and Isaac situation. Now, the Derek thing is that he is not in love with Tessa in any way shape or form. Further details on what she talked about will be stressed in the next chapter so be ready for that. And with the Isaac thing, this is still a Stiles story but there's got to be some bumps in the road. Tessa and Stiles will get together but there will be a few obstacles in their way. I LOVE YOU GUYS SO MUCH!**

 **and i hoped you guys would review more often. literally no one has reviewed since like four chapters ago and I'm hoping I didn't lose you all in the small break i took.**


	24. Chapter 24

**Warning: Shit is about to get real in this chapter...**

* * *

It was as if the kids moving around me had suddenly been shifted into slow motion. Their voices turned into low, slurred murmurs, instead of the loud, annoying tones I heard daily. Locker doors shutting became distant and silent, the sound not making me jump or snap out of my daze. I simply stared forward, my mouth still hanging open in shock, and my eyes locked on nothing. I wasn't even looking at Scott or Allison anymore. I was pretty certain that I'd been shoved into some state of shock. I was unable to speak or move. I was lucky enough to remember to breathe but it felt as if the world slowly crashing down around me. Everything that Scott, Stiles, and I had struggled to build was now falling apart in our hands.

Jackson had found out about werewolves—someone had found out. Jackson threatened to tell Allison and Allison would tell her parents and then they'd kill Scott and Derek. We'd tried so hard to keep from the Argent's finding out and now that Jackson was blackmailing us, it was becoming a lot more difficult. I wasn't even sure what to do at this point. How could I get Jackson a werewolf bite? Scott hadn't asked for it or wanted it like Jackson did. We didn't even know who the alpha was, thanks to the police, which meant that we couldn't even consider 'asking' the alpha to give Jackson the bite. I didn't want to jump to scary conclusions but I knew that if we didn't figure out something soon, there'd be bloodshed and that scared the shit out of me.

"Tessa?"

Suddenly, air flapped around me like a quick gust of wind. I blinked, the dryness of my eyes being relieved and let out a small gasp, the sound of my name becoming instantly louder than what it had been before. It was a moment before my vision finally settled and my eyes landed on who was standing in front of me. Dark brown eyes peered up at me, books clutched to her chest, and a slightly worried look on her face. I almost couldn't speak to her, the thought of what Jackson had said still prominent in my mind. Still, I managed to let a small smile fall upon my features.

"Allison," I breathed out, swallowing thickly. "Hey, what's up?"

"Uh, nothing," Allison muttered, glancing around before looking back at me. "Are you okay? You looked a little worried."

I cleared my throat and then shook my head, running my fingers through my hair. "No, no, I mean, yeah. I'm fine. I'm—I'm not worried." I tried to assure her but my voice had little reassurance.

"Well, why were you just standing here in the middle of the hallway? Class is gonna start soon." She asked, raising up a single eyebrow and jutting a thumb over her shoulder, adjusting her books in her arms.

"I was, uh, just thinking." I answered, nodding my head and fixing the straps on my backpack. Allison turned and stood beside me, falling in step as we started down the hallway, passed Scott who hadn't taken his eyes off of me.

"What were you thinking about?" Allison inquired to my frustration but I fought back getting upset. When I got worried, I got angry, and I didn't need to yell at her right now. She was already going through enough.

I pressed my lips together, thinking to myself before shrugging. "Winter formal." I replied, exhaling deeply.

"Right…" Allison trailed off, chewing on her bottom lip. "I almost forgot about it. I'd never hear the end of it if I didn't show up."

She was referring to Lydia and it made me a little uncomfortable knowing what I knew. I tried not to let it show to Allison and snorted. "Trust me. I got an earful when I told Lydia I wasn't sure if I even wanted to go."

"Well, why not?" Allison murmured, glancing at me out of the corner of her eyes.

"It's never really been my thing. Besides, I didn't have anyone to go with." I replied and Allison raised her eyebrows.

"You're speaking in past tense. What does that mean?" Allison asked suspiciously and I sighed, rubbing a hand down my face.

"Lydia is…supposedly trying to get me a date." I told her and a small smile perked at the corner of Allison's lips. "And no, it isn't Stiles."

Suddenly the smile fell from Allison's lips and I swore she looked disappointed. "What do you mean it isn't Stiles? I thought you were like a thing?"

"Why does everyone think that Stiles and I are a thing?" I breathlessly laughed, throwing my hands up and coming to a stop in front of Allison. She was slightly caught off guard by my accusation and blinked.

"Well, you two are always together and your arguing kind of adorable." She answered, shrugging her shoulders and I rolled my eyes. "What? You don't like him?"

"No! I don't!" I practically shrieked, bouncing on my toes and making Allison giggle, covering her mouth with her hand. "And you totally don't believe me."

Allison inhaled deeply and then shrugged once more. "It's kind of hard to believe you. I barely see you smile and when you do, it's around him."

"Allison, I smile around you all the time." I scoffed, crossing my arms over my chest and rolling my eyes again. "This is nothing new."

"Do you think it would be such a bad thing to like Stiles, honestly?" Allison asked seriously, raising her eyebrows and making me press my lips tightly together. I glanced around before rubbing my forehead.

"Look, I don't know if it would be such a bad thing if I liked him. Even if I did, which I don't, I'd never stand a chance against Lydia. He likes her too much to even think about liking someone else." I pointed out, shaking my head. "And—and what if I like someone else that isn't Stiles?"

Allison snorted, grinning. "Please. I'm not sure if you're capable of liking someone else that isn't as sarcastic as you."

"Isaac."

"What?"

I tipped my chin up like I had with Lydia this morning and puffed out my chest. "I like Isaac Lahey." I repeated and Allison blinked a slight concussed look on her face. There were a few beats of silent and Allison cleared her throat, nodding slowly.

"Okay, well, I was not expecting that." She admitted, staring down at the floor and then slowly looking back up at me. "When—when did this happen?"

"Monday," I answered with a shrug. "I sat with him at lunch and it was really nice. He's cute."

"Wait, so you like Isaac—the shy and quiet kid who sits in the back of the classroom?" Allison clarified, waving her hands around her head as she tried to digest the information.

"Hey, at least you know who he is. Lydia had no clue."

"Tessa, you hate people like Isaac. You barely notice them." Allison pointed out and I shot her a small glare, frowning.

"That's a lie. I noticed Isaac before lunch. I sat by him one time and that girl, Erica Reyes? Yeah, she sits next to me in chem."

"And what if you never sat by either of them? Would you notice them?" Allison pointed out and I blinked, slightly caught off guard because…she was right.

"Just take a look at it from my perspective." I sighed, fiddling with my backpack straps. I looked down at the floor and then licked my lip. "I don't know how I feel about Stiles but…it wouldn't matter. He's completely and utterly in love with Lydia. He's told me a million times but Lydia is so goddamn oblivious and it's so frustrating because…Stiles deserves her. He deserves to be happy and if that's with her, than goddammit Lydia open your eyes! I—I wanna like Stiles but I don't know how to like people or—or act around them and it's so confusing and so frustrating. I just don't want to compete for Stiles's feelings. It doesn't make sense."

Allison was staring at me with wide eyes, her mouth hanging open slightly, and her books still tight at her chest. I hadn't realized I was breathing heavy and locks of brown hair were falling down in front of my eyes, clouding my vision of my best friend standing in front of me. Finally, the corners of her lips turned up and she bit down on her bottom lip to avoid blowing up in a full grin.

"Tessa, I think you like Stiles."

I opened my mouth but then quickly shut it again, unsure of how to respond. I swallowed thickly and then let my eyes fall down to the ground. "I—I don't know." I muttered, shaking my head frantically. "I don't know what it feels like to like someone. I've never liked anyone before!"

"Okay, calm down." Allison giggled, stepping forward and placing her hands on my shoulders. "Let's make sure you don't have a panic attack."

"Allison, I can't like Stiles!" I whispered desperately, my eyes wide. "Stiles and I are supposed to be like—like friends that can barely stand each other. I don't like change. I don't like it at all."

"Tessa, calm down," Allison murmured softly, rubbing comforting circles on my shoulders. "I think you're just scared."

"Scared of what?" I whimpered, looking in her brown eyes and sagging my body underneath her hands.

"You're afraid of feeling, Tessa. From being your friend, I've noticed you don't like to feel because…you're still hurt over the loss of your dad." Allison said and I felt like I nodded among instinct. "It's okay to feel. You don't have to be afraid anymore."

"I just feel like if I decide to feel—so many emotions are going to hit me and I'm not gonna be able to take it." I had almost forgotten that we were in the middle of the school hallway but Allison didn't seem to care.

"And when you decide to feel, I'll be right beside you."

I nodded and Allison put her arms around my shoulders, pulling me into a tight hug. I wrapped my own arms around her torso and we held each other closing, simply relishing in the fact that we both had each other. It was a silent establishment of our friendship and it was something I'd never want to let go in my entire life.

* * *

I scrambled around the corner, whipping my head back and forth and searching for a one spastic teenager with a buzz cut and odd sense of style. It was a hallway full of kids—how in the hell was I going to find Stiles fast enough before the next bell? I had literally been bouncing around in my last class, Allison and Lydia constantly asking me if I was okay, and then sprinted out of the classroom one the teacher let us go. I had been shoving through people, some cursing at me but I was too distracted to care. I wasn't even sure if Scott had gotten to Stiles yet but when I saw a mop of brown hair and terrified brown eyes, I knew I'd located at least one of them except he was on the other end of the hallway, Stiles not in tow. We both exchanged a silent communication, nodding our heads in agreement to find Stiles and talk to him. As if he knew we were looking for him, he casually walked around the corner, his lacrosse stick swinging in his backpack and his casual swagger, unaware of the news he was about to receive. Since I was closer, I stumbled forward while tripping over my own feet and Scott checked the area for Jackson before we told Stiles.

I slammed chest-first beside Stiles's locker and he jumped with an awkward squawk, waving his arms, and contorting his face like he'd stuck it in a trashcan. "Tessa, what the hell?" He protested once he regained his dignity and I sucked in a deep breath, turning to face him but still keeping my shoulder on the lockers.

"We have a very, very, VERY big problem." I exclaimed breathlessly, widening my eyes and making Stiles blink with confusion. Scott had finally joined us and Stiles looked between the two of us.

"Guys, what happened? Who died?" Stiles asked and I glanced at Scott, chewing on my bottom lip and he ran a hand over his hair, looking at Stiles.

"No one is gonna die…yet." He answered cryptically and I rolled my eyes in irritation as Stiles's eyes filled to the brim with panic. He opened his mouth to probably yell and I stepped forward, waving my hands around.

"Don't you dare scream or I will cut out your vocal cords with a pair of kid-safety scissors." I threatened, pointing a finger in his face. He clamped his mouth shut and then nodded frantically, Scott's eyes dramatically increasing upon the threat. "Jackson knows about Scott and if we don't help him get the bite, he's gonna tell Allison."

Stiles was quiet for a few moments, his lips still tightly pressed together and eyes staring down at me with fear of being assaulted. Finally, he slammed his locker shut and then grabbed my hand, jerking me down the hallway towards the next class with Scott following behind us like a lost puppy. I tried to ignore the closeness of Stiles and I as we tried to swerve out of the way of other people. We went through the doors out to the outside lunch area and then returned back inside.

"How the hell did he find out?" Stiles demanded as we went through the door, turning my body to fit inside with Stiles still holding on firmly to my hand like Jackson was going to pop out of nowhere.

"I have no idea." Scott answered, throwing his hands up and stuttering in his walk, glancing around also like we were going to find Jackson around here.

"Uh, I mean, did he say it out loud?" Stiles asked, shaking his head and tapping Scott's arm with his free hand while I clung to his, now starting to get nervous about Jackson coming out of an empty classroom or crowd of people. "The word?"

"What word?" Scott whispered back in confusion and I rolled my eyes, grinding my teeth to keep from yelling at Scott in my small state of anxiety.

"Werewolf," Stiles then answered firmly making Scott whip his head around to make sure no one had heard. "Did he say "I know you're a werewolf?"?"

"No but he implied it pretty _freaking_ clearly." Scott shot back with a small hint of anger lacing his tone and I couldn't blame him.

"He knows and it's a humongous problem for us." I muttered, glancing worriedly at the two boys.

Stiles inhaled deeply, bouncing on his toes before shaking his head. "Okay, maybe it's not as bad as it seems." He suggested and I gave him an incredulous look, resisting the urge to slap him upside the head. "I mean, he doesn't have any proof, right? A—and if he wanted to tell someone, who's gonna believe him anyway?"

"How about Allison's father?" Scott pointed out and Stiles paused, his mouth hanging open as he stared out the window. His grip tightened on my hand and I adjusted my fingers, shaking my head.

"Okay, it's bad." He finally admitted and ran a hand over his head, trying to figure out what to do.

"I need a cure." Scott slapped a hand on Stiles's shoulder. "Right now."

"Scott, we've already been through this. The only way you might get a cure is if you kill the alpha and clearly, we still have no idea who the alpha is." I pointed out, giving him a wary look and making him sigh in frustration.

"D—does he know how Allison's father?" Stiles asked and Scott sighed once more, shaking his head and throwing his hands up.

"I—I don't know." He breathed out, slapping his arms back down at his sides.

"Okay, where's Derek?" Stiles asked with more intensity in his voice and I knew what that meant.

"Hiding like we told him to, why?" Scott answered and Stiles came to a stop, bring me with him. He let go of my hand and then placed it on Scott's shoulder, my palm becoming instantly cold and I opened and closed my fist.

"I have another idea. It's gonna take a little time to finesse though." Stiles waved his fingers in a circular motion in front of his friend's face.

"No, no, I already established this. We don't like your plans—actually, I hate your plans. And I specifically voted to never let you make plans again." I interjected stepping in between the two boys and making Stiles glare down at me.

"Once again, I don't see you coming up with any bright ideas." Stiles pointed out and I rolled my eyes, crossing my arms over my chest.

"How about letting Derek find the alpha and then Scott killing him, hm? Does that sound like a good plan? Cause it sounds like a great one to me!" I hissed, bouncing on my toes.

"Tessa, we can't wait any longer." Scott muttered from behind me and I turned to face him. "We have that game tonight. It's quarterfinals and it's Stiles's first game."

"I know. I know." Stiles snapped, cutting off Scott. "Look, do you have a plan for Allison yet? Do either of you have a plan?"

"Yeah, I can't do it. There's nothing I can do." I said honestly, shaking my head and Scott nodded in understanding.

"She's in my next class." Scott sighed, looking back to Stiles.

"Get the necklace." Stiles ordered abruptly and then stormed off, leaving Scott and I alone to go to the next class which we both had with Allison.

* * *

With an unladylike manner, I shoved pieces of chicken in my mouth—immensely starving from the massive amounts of worrying I'd done all class periods leading up to lunch. Lydia was sitting with all of her friends, effectively me for the time being. Instead of sitting with my other friends, I sat across from Scott who only greeted me with a curt wave when I sat down with him. We waited for Stiles, quiet and awkwardly which meant I knew something had happened between Allison and him.

Suddenly, Stiles slid down in the empty chair beside Scott, nearly slamming his tray and glancing around the crowded lunchroom. We'd all been like that ever since we verbally concluded that things were very bad. We'd checked every single room for Jackson, some he did happen to be in, and jumped at the slightest of things. I'm sure the entire student body thought we were all on drugs but that was the least of our social anxieties. I felt like all of these thoughts were just filling up my brain and it brought a headache—giving me the impression that if anything else happened, my head would explode and I wasn't exactly sure anyone wanted that.

"Did you get her to give you the necklace?" Stiles asked without a single greeting once he got situated in his seat.

Scott blew a breath out his nose and glanced at Stiles warily. "Not exactly."

Stiles sighed in exasperation, still scanning the lunchroom. "What happened?"

"She told me not to talk to her." Scott answered and I looked up from my lunch tray, a slightly confused look on my face looking exceptionally comedic with the food stuffed in my cheeks. "At all."

Taking a dramatic bite of his own chicken, Stiles thought for a minute. "So she's not giving you the necklace?"

"She's not giving me the necklace!"

"Wow, okay, we should just take it down a couple notches here." I intervened, leaning forward slightly in my seat and placing my hands in front of both boys. I gave them both a serious look and then sat back in my chair. "Did you find anything else out?" I was surprised by the sympathy in my voice but it made Scott comfortable enough to relax and answer my question.

"Just that I know nothing about girls, and that they're totally _psychotic_." Scott answered, glaring up at the ceiling and I cocked up an eyebrow, giving him a deadly look. "Uh, well, um,"

"No, hey, you cannot argue with him on this." Stiles scoffed, pointing an accusing finger at me. "You threatened to cut my throat out with scissors not two hours ago."

"Sure but you don't have to sound like a douchebag when you say it. It pisses us off. Pro-tip number one." I winked at Scott and he gave me a confused look before Stiles slammed his hands down on the sides of his tray.

"Okay, I came up with a plan "B" just in case anything like this happened." Stiles informed us and I perked up in my seat, lacing my fingers and placing them beneath my chin, watching him.

"What's plan "B"?"

"Just steal the stupid thing."

"Stiles, we've been over this…" I pointed out in a sing-song voice.

"Yes but we never firmly agreed on stealing it." He shot back, cocking up an eyebrow and giving me a pointed look where I shrugged and silently agreed.

"Couldn't we try at least getting to Harris?" Scott suggested, shaking his head and obviously still not liking the plan.

Stiles shook his head. "My dad put him on a 24-hour protective detail, okay? The necklace is all we got." Stiles explained but when I looked at Scott, it didn't look like he was on the same planet as us anymore. Instead, he had gone stock-still and was staring off behind me.

"What are you-?" I paused one I saw what exactly he was looking at.

Jackson Whitmore was seated all the way on the other side of the lunchroom. Allison and Lydia were sitting across from him, completely unaware that their friend was turned towards us fully and was staring down Scott. I swallowed nervously and then sluggishly turned around in my seat, dropping my gaze to my lunch tray.

"Stiles, he's watching us." Scott informed the clueless boy beside him.

Stiles looked away from his own food and then looked up, meeting Jackson's eye. We all shrunk down in our seats, awkwardly shifting beneath the lacrosse captain's reproachful watch. Then, Scott grimaced, twisting his neck and shutting his eyes. Then, Scott's eyes widened with worry and misperception, slowly inclining his head in the direction of Jackson which made Stiles and I glance at each with anticipation.

"What's wrong?" Stiles demanded in a sharp whisper, trying not to make it so obvious that he was asking considering we were being watched.

"Jackson's talking to me. He knows I can hear him." Scott answered frantically, sitting up straight in his seat and making me look over my shoulder once more. I narrowed my eyes at Jackson and he smirked, clearly pleased with himself. "No, Tessa, look at me! Look at me. Act normal!" Scott demanded in a low hiss, tapping my lunch tray and making me snap my head back around to look at him.

"Okay, pretend like nothing's happening." I muttered, animatedly moving my body as if I were actually talking to them. As if Jackson was speaking to him again, Scott growled. "Pretend better, asshole!" I ordered Stiles, making him glare at me. "Say something."

"I—I can't think of anything." He muttered through a mouthful of food, waving his hands around his head. "My mind's a complete blank."  
"Really, of all times in the world—your hyperactive mind is blank? What is your use on this planet, Stilinski?" I whined and Stiles glared once more, grunting.

"I'm under pressure. It's a little difficult for me right now." Stiles argued, shaking his head and scrunching up his face in the way he usually did when he freaked out. Stiles then turned his head. "FYI, he's not even sitting with them anymore."

Scott and I both looked in that direction, seeing that, in fact, Jackson had left the table. Lydia and Allison were still together talking happily and I couldn't help but feel left out. I just simply didn't fit in with the rest of the girl's they sat with. Scott looked around and I turned back to face them.

"Where the hell is he?" Scott demanded, frantically whipping his head around the lunchroom and I casually tried to look but I couldn't find him either. Suddenly, Scott stiffened and I knew that Jackson was talking to him again. I could see him progressively getting angrier, his breathing increasing, and his grip around his utensils getting tighter. "Yes," he suddenly whispered which meant he was answering to Jackson. Scott's hand was literally shaking around his small water bottle and I prepared myself to get up, giving Stiles an uneasy glance. Scott tried to take a drink of water but droplets spilled out.

"Scott, come on, you need to relax." I urged, resting my hand on the one that was still flat on the table.

"You can't let him do this. You can't let him have this kind of power over you, okay?" Stiles tried, putting a hand on his shoulder. Scott's tray began to shake and I removed my hand, staring down at it with a now fearful expression. Suddenly, the tray snapped in half and I gasped, jumping in my seat. Everyone in the lunch room stopped and their gaze fell on Scott, including Allison and Lydia's.

"Wow, uh, that is not good." I murmured, holding my hands up in the air like I was reminding Scott that I didn't want to end up like the lunch tray. This was not good.

* * *

"Stiles, I really don't understand why I have to be here for this." I sighed as he shut his front door behind me. He set his backpack on the ground, rubbing his hands together anxiously.

"I think you forgot the promise I made to never let you out of my sight. Remember that?" Stiles asked raising his eyebrows and giving me a pointed look which caused me roll my eyes. "Yeah, you remember."

I scratched my head and then shrugged my shoulders. "I'll seriously be fine if I'm out of your sight for a few hours." I snorted, looking away from him. "Besides, I'm going to your lacrosse game. You'll see me there."

"Tessa, the alpha could strike at any waking moment." Stiles said shaking his head and making me give him a confused and expectant look before he sighed and then sagged his shoulders. "I…I just don't wanna do this alone. I hate doing stuff alone. That's kind of the point of telling you because while Scott's busy doing werewolf things, you can help me with the human things."

I blinked, slightly caught off-guard by the explanation. I felt like there was a humungous lump in my throat that kept me from speaking and my mouth hung slack. Stiles stared at me with a tangled expression, debating whether or not to run or stay. To avoid him running, I cleared my throat and smiled genuinely. "Fine, I'll help you with the human things." I muttered, nudging him in the shoulder and going up the stairs. Stiles breathed out something I couldn't hear and then scrambled after me.

We entered his bedroom and I threw my backpack on his bed. Stiles slipped into his desk and I stayed standing up, texting Andre to let her know where I was. "Hey, Stiles!" Mr. Stilinski yelled from downstairs. He'd been in the bathroom when we'd first gotten home which meant, luckily, he didn't hear what we were talking about. I turned my head to look in the direction of the door when my eyes suddenly widened with fear. I opened my mouth to say something but before I had the chance, my mouth was covered.

"Yo, D—Derek." Stiles turned around slowly in his chair, expecting to reply to his Dad but instead found Derek Hale standing his bedroom, his hand over my mouth to keep me from saying anything. Derek wildly gestured for Stiles to stay quiet, pointing towards the door as footsteps started to come up the stairs towards his bedroom. "I, um," Stiles stammered and he pulled his door half shut, sliding into the small crack to avoid his father seeing inside the room. Derek kept his hand clamped over my mouth but I kept my hands planted on the arm that was wrapped around my chest, unfamiliar with being so close to a guy that terrified all of my friends.

"What'd you say?" Mr. Stilinski asked, confused as to why his son had not replied with his name.

"What?" Stiles said softly. "I said "Yo, D—Dad."

"Listen, I've got something I've gotta take care of, but, uh…I'm gonna be there tonight. I mean your first game." The older man replied and the longer he stood there the more nervous that I got being in the same room as fugitive.

"My first game, gosh, great, awesome." Stiles awkwardly responded, making me grimace underneath Derek's hold. "Uh…good."

There were a few beats of uncomfortable silence that were practically unbearable. "I'm very happy for you." Mr. Stilinski finally said his tone sincere. "And I'm really proud of you."

The sound of the fatherly tone Mr. Stilinski had started using made me stiffen, reminding me of the way my life had never been. It was like flashbacks of all the times where I got an A in class or won a swimming competition and didn't have those words said to me. Through a mirror in Stiles's room, I saw Derek's brow crinkle in confusion when I wilted beneath his grasp and my hands fell down to my sides. It made my chest swell up with…grief. It prompted me that I would never have a father ever again.

"Oh, thanks." Stiles replied back nonchalantly. "Me too. I'm happy and proud…of myself."

I rolled my eyes at the lack of emotion Stiles was showing towards his father at the moment but I knew that he was just trying to get his father to leave so we could avoid him seeing Derek Hale in his son's bedroom, currently holding a young girl to his chest.

"So they're really gonna let you play, right?" Mr. Stilinski clarified his tone slightly skeptical considering things that had probably happened in the past.

"Yeah, Dad. I'm first line." Stiles answered with a small hint of joy in his voice, the sound of him saying he was on first line never getting old for him.

"I'm very proud." Mr. Stilinski repeated.

"Oh, me too. Again, I'm…" Stiles trailed off but then door swung shut as Stiles was pulled out of the way. For a second, I panicked, inhaling sharply through my nose but then I realized no one was coming inside.

"See you there." Mr. Stilinski finished.

"Take it easy." Stiles called back as I assumed his father began to leave. Derek let go of me and I was taken by surprise but it was quickly demolished after Stiles entered the room. I soon realized why he'd let go of me so quickly.

Derek stormed forward and grabbed Stiles by the front of his chest, throwing him into his bedroom door with massive amounts of anger. "If you say one word—"

"Oh, what, you mean, like, "Hey Dad, Derek Hale's in my room. Bring your gun."?" Stiles challenged, throwing his hand up and making me relax after I'd tried to stop Derek from possibly injuring Stiles. Derek's hand dropped down to his side, his anger slowly dissolving from his stance. "Yeah, that's right. If I'm harboring your fugitive ass, it's my house, my rules, buddy." Stiles lightly tapped Derek in the shoulder, making me raise my eyebrows.

Derek reluctantly nodded before releasing the boy. He straightened out Stiles's jacket and I let out a quiet sigh of relief. Stiles mocked Derek's action and smiled proudly. He went to pass by Derek but there was still one trick up his sleeve. Derek scooted forward daringly, jutting his head out, and making Stiles veer backwards. "Oh my, God!" He muttered but kept walking towards his desk.

"Hey, thanks for unnecessarily covering my mouth with your giant man hands. I don't even want to know what you've gotten in to." I said, crossing my arms over my head and turning to face Derek with a disgusted expression. Derek simply glared at me, ignoring the comment, and looking back at Stiles.

"Scott didn't get the necklace?" Derek inquired.

"No, he's still working on it." Stiles answered, turned around in his desk chair while I took a seat on the edge of his bed. "But there's something else we can try." Derek gave him an expectant nod, shoving his hands in the pockets of his jacket. "The night we were trapped at the school, Scott sent a text to Allison asking her to meet him there."

"So?" Derek said, shaking his head.

"So it wasn't Scott." Stiles pointed out like it should be the most obvious thing in the world.

"Well can we find out who sent it?" Derek asked.

"No, not me, but I think I know somebody who can." Stiles answered and turned around in his desk chair, pulling out his phone and texting a number.

It wasn't long before there was a knock on the front door and Stiles went to answer it. Derek removed his leather jacket and took a seat in a chair, flipping through a large book while I anxiously waited to see who Stiles had invited over. It came in the door took me by surprise. Once Danny had entered the room, he gave Derek and I confused looks.

"I thought this was lab work." Danny muttered, looking at Stiles. "What is Tessa doing here?"

"Hello to you too, Danny," I sarcastically greeted, giving him a bitter smile which was returned with a roll of his eyes.

"She's working on…lab stuff too." Stiles lied, shrugging his shoulders and sitting down back in his previous spot. "We actually are going something else."  
"What do you mean?" Danny asked, raising his eyebrows.

"I need you to trace a text for me." Stiles bluntly ordered and I rolled my eyes at him, reaching down get homework out of my backpack.

"You want me to do what?" Danny said, blinking.

"Trace a text." Stiles repeated, lacing his fingers together and then waving them at Danny who looked baffled.

"I came here to do lab work. That's what lab partners do."

Stiles growled with frustration, running a hand over the top of his head. "And we will, once you trace the text." Stiles said with more obstruction this time.

"And what makes you think I know how?" Danny challenged, glaring down at Stiles after he'd used a ferocious tone.

Stiles stared up at Danny with his mouth hanging open for a moment. "I—I looked up your arrest report, so…" Stiles trailed off awkwardly and I snorted, finishing a math equation.

"Looks like you're not such a goody, are you Danny?" I taunted, not looking up from my work but I could practically feel the eye roll.

"You're hilarious." He drawled out. "I—I was thirteen. They dropped the charges." He defended afterwards, making me smirk.

"Uh, yeah, whatever," Stiles muttered as if Danny was agreeing to help him but instead of that Danny got angrier.

"No, we're doing lab work." Danny stated firmly and pulled a chair over beside Stiles's desk. Stiles opened his mouth in a silent scream, making me giggle and I pushed myself back farther on his bed, crossing my legs and glancing over at Derek who was paying no mind to Danny at all. Instead, Danny looked over his shoulder at Derek. "Who's he again?" Danny asked quietly as if Derek wouldn't hear him.

"Umm…" Stiles mumbled, trying to come up with a lie. "That's my cousin… _Miguel_." My eyes widened, finding instant amusement in the situation and with a glare from Derek as he slowly rose his head up from his book, I shoved my fist in my mouth to avoid any distracting laughter.

"Is that blood on his shirt?" Danny asked with a slight edge to his voice and I looked over myself, seeing that Derek's tan sweater was in fact covered in blood.

"Yeah, yes." Stiles answered and I snapped my head to face him with a panicked expression but somehow, Stiles knew what he was doing. "Well, he gets there horrible nosebleeds. Hey, Miguel!"

Derek ever so slowly tilted his head up, his eyes permanently placed in a glare and his lips frozen in a scowl. "I thought I told you that you could borrow one of my shirts." Stiles turned in his chair and gestured towards the drawers with his eyes. Derek slammed the book shut, throwing it towards me and I awkwardly caught it in my arms. He got up from the bed and instantly began taking off his shirt, making myself very uncomfortable. I cleared my throat and then dropped my head back down to my homework.

Derek began digging through the drawers but after a few seconds, he turned around with a tiny shirt in his hands. "Uh, Stiles," He said in the calmest voice I'd ever heard him use before, "This? No fit." He bit out, jerking the shirt in his hands.

"Then try something else on." Stiles remarked with annoyance.

Derek growled and then threw the shirt in my direction with my knowing. It slammed me in the face, whipping the papers in my lap around, and I ripped it off of me with a huff.

"Hey, that one looks pretty good!" Stiles complimented and I looked up. Once I laid my eyes on Derek, I sputtered. I lurched forward and had to quickly slap a hand over my mouth to keep from laughing any louder. "What do you think Danny?"

"Huh?" Danny muttered like he hadn't probably been staring at the shirtless Derek. I tried not to roll on the floor because of the way Derek looked. He wore an orange and blue stripped t-shirt that nearly ripped against his large biceps. He looked more than pissed off—practically fuming at this point.

"The shirt." Stiles clarified, obviously getting at something here.

"It's…" Danny evaluated the werewolf. "It's not really his color."

Derek ripped the shirt off over his head but this time I was ready to catch it. He launched it at me and I grabbed it, threw it down beside the other shirt he'd thrown at me earlier. "STILES!" Derek shouted angrily making me look back towards him. "None of these fit." Derek bit out, holding another shirt in his hand.

"I'll need the ISP, the phone number, and the exact text." Danny hurriedly stated, making me perk up in my spot with a small smile.

"Hey, would you look at that? You didn't have to punch anyone." I snickered, gesturing towards Derek who glared down at me. "I'm proud of you Miguel."

"Get up and help me find a shirt before I punch you." Derek threatened and I sighed, rolling my eyes. I got up from the bed and began to dig through drawers. We eventually found a black-brown t-shirt that fit him and we made our way over to the computer, all hovering around Danny. Danny worked his magic and then brought up exactly what we needed.

"There." He stated, clicking on last button. "The text was sent from a computer. This one."

"Registered to that account name?" Derek asked as we all stared at the computer screen with confusion.

"No, no, no, no, that can't be right." Stiles muttered, shaking his head and nearly leaning back into me. I continued to read the words over and over again.

 **Account registered to:**

 **Beacon Hills Hospital – Melissa McCall**

Danny left soon after, the lab work being finished but I could tell Stiles wasn't really focusing. The sun had gone down and it was almost time for the game to start once they finished but the three of us had piled into the Jeep—Derek, Stiles, and I. Stiles called Scott once we'd driven to the hospital and I shifted anxiously in the back seat. Stiles instructed Scott to tell his father that he'd be a little late if he showed up to the game and then hung up.

"You're not gonna make it." Derek said with a small shake of his head.

"I know." Stiles sighed, slapping his hands down on the steering wheel.

"Stiles, you can't miss your first game." I said quietly from the back seat, resting my hand on his shoulder. "Look, Derek and I can go."

"I am not letting you go alone with Derek, especially if the alpha is there." Stiles stated firmly, looking up at me through the rearview mirror. I swallowed and then sat back in the seat, letting my hand fall off of his shoulder.

"You didn't tell Scott about his mom either." Derek stated afterwards.

"Not till we find out the truth." Stiles bargained, shaking his head.

"By the way one more thing?" Derek said quickly.

"Yeah?" Stiles replied innocently but he was not expecting what he had coming to him at all. Derek placed his hand on the back of Stiles's head, pushing down, and sending his face flying straight towards the steering wheel.

"What the fu—" I gasped, trying to scramble as far away from the werewolf as I possibly could. "Derek!"  
"You know what that was for!" Derek shouted, pointing a finger at me. "Go. Go!"

Stiles rolled out of the passenger seat and I clambered out of the back seat, jumping down onto the sidewalk and slamming the Jeep door.

"Aye, aye, respect the wheels." Stiles scolded, poking me in the arm and making me shake my head as I stormed up towards the building.

We went inside the building, Stiles holding open the door for me as I entered first. As soon as I stepped inside, chills ran up and down my spine like a cold breeze had just swooped into us. The entire place was empty, the only sounds being Stiles and I. I swallowed nervously and looked around, confused as to why it was deserted.

"This is weird." I whispered, rubbing my arms up and down, regretting the decision to wear shorts. "Call—Call Derek."

Stiles dialed his number and then put him on speaker phone. "What?"

"Derek, we can't find anyone here." I said, shaking my head and glancing around nervously.

"What do you mean? Look for his caretaker." Derek answered and I froze up, staring down at the phone.

"I said I can't find her." Stiles muttered, not noticing me at all.

"Look, ask for Jennifer. Or…Or Andre." Derek said and Stiles looked at me with a confused expression. "They've been looking after my Uncle."

We continued on the hallway and I found the name of Peter Hale hanging over the doorway of a room. I stepped inside and looked around. "Derek, there's no one here." I muttered, running my hands over the empty wheelchair that should have held Peter.

"What?" Derek gawked, his radio voice coming out high-pitched.

"He's not here. He's gone, Derek." Stiles repeated and I sighed, dragging a hand down my face. I yawned, somewhat tired from the day and turned to face Stiles.

"You two need to get the hell out of there right now!" Derek shouted over the phone desperately, alarming the both of us. "It's him! He's the alpha. Get out!"

"Holy shit!" I shouted and rushed forward, Stiles grabbing my hand. He backed out of the room but then froze when we saw that we weren't alone.

My eyes were locked on Peter, terrified and panicked. Peter stood just a few inches taller than Stiles and I, leaned up against the doorframe of the room next door. His brown hair had curls on the end and was messy on the top of his head. One half of his face held a handsome man with green eyes and nice cheekbones while the other half held burnt and charred skin from the fire he'd been involved in many years ago. He wore a long black trench coat that stopped just above his ankles and a blue dress-shirt.

"You must be looking for me." Peter spoke, his voice soft and calming like he wasn't some giant, murderous alpha werewolf that wanted to kill us all.

Stiles began to back up again, clutching onto my hand tightly and he turned around to run but our path was blocked by a nurse I didn't know. "What are you doing here?" She demanded, her fiery red hair matching her lips. "Visiting hours are over."

"Stiles, my sister is here." I breathed out, reaching my other arm up to clutch onto his bicep. "She works the nights."

"Ah yes, Andrea." Peter crossed his arms in front of himself and nodded his head. "Such a lovely young woman."

"Where is she?" I demanded, making Stiles turn to face the alpha.

Peter sighed and then looked passed us to Jennifer. "She can come out now. Our guests have arrived." Peter said calmly to the nurse who walked over to one of the rooms in which the door had been closed. Jennifer reached inside and jerked her arms back, revealing a terrifying sight.

"Andre!" I shouted, seeing the blood trickling down the side of her head and the duct tape around her mouth and hands. Her legs were tied up with rope and there were tears streaming down her face. I released Stiles and sprinted towards her, sliding on my knees and placing my hands on the side of her face. "I'm so sorry." I whispered, looking her in the eyes and then ripping off the tape. She let out a small gasp and I pulled her into a hug, trying to ease the shake.

"Isn't that a sight to see?" Peter mused, making me look over my shoulder at him with a glare. "It's truly inspiring honestly."

"You're an asshole." I hissed, glaring at him and making Peter chuckle, easily bypassing the jab. He inhaled deeply and then sighed, shaking his head.

"It really, really is a shame, you know." He said to me, taking a few steps closer to me and making Stiles back out of the way. "Someone like you shouldn't be lied to."

I stroked Andre's head, still watching Peter over my shoulder. "What are you talking about?" I muttered, Andre clutching onto my sweater with her tied hands, sobbing quietly and making me even more worried about what had happened.

"I'm saying that you, Tessandra Bradley, have been living a lie. The life you thought you had was just a façade." Peter said to me and I could see even Stiles was confused now. I furrowed my brow and swallowed.

"W—what the hell? You're not making any sense!" I spat, shaking my head and trying to scoot away from Peter as he got closer to me.

"I know it all seems very confusing right now but you must let me explain. You deserve the truth. I've been waiting for a very long time to do this." Peter sighed, nodding his head and then stopping directly in front of me. I craned my neck to look all the way up at him but then I dropped it back down as he kneeled in front of me. "Jennifer, please untie Andrea and set her off somewhere. I must have Tessandra undivided attention."

"No, no," I whispered, tightening my hold on my sister. Jennifer grabbed Andre's legs. "No, please! Don't hurt her!"

"No, no, don't worry." Peter cooed, shaking his head. "We won't hurt her."

"Don't take her from me!" I shrieked and tried to hang on but my efforts were abruptly seized. I didn't have a chance to react before a fist collided with my nose and made me release my sister. I clutched onto my nose, groaning and shutting my eyes.

"Hey, don't touch her!" Stiles angrily shouted but he knew there was nothing he could do. I panted, turning around to glare at Peter. He stood up and I followed him, not wanting anything else to happen with my sister. A small stream of blood trickled down from my nose and I touched it, seeing the crimson on my fingers. I sniffed and then wiped some off with the back of my hand.

"Now that we have that taken care of, we can focus on the important things before time runs out." Peter eventually stated, rolling his shoulders and looking at me. "I'm surprised Derek hasn't tried to run in and save the day. It seems to be a habit when it comes to you."

"You're running out of time, Peter." I sarcastically said in a sing-song voice. "You wanted my undivided attention? You got it."

Peter smiled genuinely, the gesture making me shiver. "Perfect. I'm glad we're on the same page." He nodded his head and then cocked his head to the side. "I'm surprised you never figured it out for yourself. You seem to figure a lot of things out on your own. This might have been little tricky but you've had to notice some things—the lack of birth pictures, the negative chatter around the family. Oh, what about the large funds of money constantly placed in your bank account? You've noticed those all, yes?"

"Sure, yeah, why?" I asked, crinkling my nose to try and release some of the pain.

"Come on, Tessandra. It's got to be somewhat obvious." Peter snorted, rolling his eyes. I continued to give him a confused expression. "It's obvious that—you aren't even a Bradley at all."

Stunned, my mouth fell open and I blinked, forgetting all about the pain of my nose or that Peter was the alpha standing right in front of me. "That—that doesn't make any sense…"

"Oh but it does." Peter argued, widening his eyes and nodding. "You're adoption was at such a young age, it was easy to make it completely irrelevant in your life. You would have never known if it weren't for the slip-ups Daniel and Karen made."

"My adoption?" I clarified, cocking up an eyebrow and trying to contain all of the emotions swirling inside my head.

"Yes, you were adopted as a newborn."

"How—how do you know this? How do I know you're not bluffing?" I challenged, trying to deny the fact that he was even saying this to me.

"Come on, Tessandra. Do you really think I'd be wasting my precious time on this if I were bluffing?" Peter countered, mirroring my eyebrow. "I know this because, well, it's simple honestly…your mother was my sister."

I inhaled sharply, the breath being sucked out of my throat. It felt like someone had punched me in the stomach, a pain twisting in my insides. I stared at Peter with an unreadable expression. I could feel a sting in my eyes, not noticing it until now. My vision blurred and then I felt something on my face that I hadn't felt in a very long time. One single tear dripped out of my eye and rolled down my face, the warped reality slapping me in the face and it was too much for me to bottle up anymore. My fists clenched at my sides and shaky breaths started to fall out of my chapped lips. I blinked and wiped away the single tear hurriedly, swallowing thickly.

"No," I denied with a watery voice, shaking my head. "No, you—you're crazy. You have no clue what you're talking about."

Peter sighed and then looked down at his feet. "I presumed that this news would be difficult for you receive." He said quietly, a small bit of emotion actually hinting in his tone. "But I can assure you, I am not lying."

"You—you"—I paused, pointing my finger at him and trying to find the words that seemed to be lost—"I'm not a werewolf!"

"I'm aware." Peter bobbed his eyebrows. "When a human and a werewolf mate, there is a fifty-percent chance that the baby will come out as a werewolf. When Talia, my sister, mated with the human, you were developed as a human. Lucky you."

"Wait, so you don't even know who my father is?" I demanded, my voice cracking in the middle of my sentence and tears threating to fall again and I could stop them. One drop fell from each eye and I didn't bother wiping them away.

"Unfortunately, no." Peter answered, shaking his head.

"Oh my, God!" I shouted clapping my hands over my face and squeezing my eyes shut. Multiple tears fell from my eyes and I bent over at the waist, trying to bit back the sobs that wanted to rip out of my throat. It felt like the world was moving too fast—spinning and throwing me off balance. It was like every emotion in my body was reacting to what Peter was telling me and it was making me weak. I hadn't even realized my hands were shaking until I removed them off of my face, Peter watching me silently. "How? How is this possible?" I whispered through tears, shaking my head slowly. "Talia died in the fire."

"That is true but…you hadn't yet." Peter clarified, moving his hands from the front to the back. "Knowing she was pregnant, the paramedics were able to perform an emergency C section. Daniel and Karen were close friends of ours and were planned to take you in case something like this happened."

I placed a hand over my mouth as, finally, a sob ripped through me. I closed my eyes, my entire body beginning to shake now. I dropped my head, my chin digging into my chest and I felt like I couldn't stop the flow of tears that fell from my eyes. I hardly even noticed that Stiles had approached me and his arm was wrapped around my shoulders. He turned my body and then held me to his chest. I moved my hands off of my mouth and then gripped onto his jacket, shoving my face into the crook of his neck.

Suddenly, there was the sound of a body being dropped behind us and my crying abruptly stopped. I lifted my head up and saw that Jennifer was crumped to the floor, her nose also bleeding. Above her stood Derek Hale, glaring down Peter.

"That's not nice." Peter murmured quietly. "She's my nurse."

"She's a psychotic bitch helping you kill people. Get out of my way." Derek glanced as us and Stiles looked at Derek.

"Oh damn," He sighed and then tugged me down on the floor, trying to keep us out of the way of Derek and Peter, knowing what was about to ensue.

"You think I killed Laura on purpose? One of my own family?" Peter demanded, slowly walking closer to Derek. Derek growled, his eyes turning the bright blue color and he jumped up onto the counter, launching himself towards Peter.

"Stiles come on!" I called over the loud growl and grabbed his hand, crawling across the floor to where the nurse had put Andre which was directly behind the service counter. Stiles took a seat across from the two of us, watching the two wolves fight.

"Tessa, I'm so sorry!" Andre cried over the snarls and growls. "I—I should have told you when we moved here."

"Wait, you knew?" I called back to her, a confused expression lacing my features. Andre sheepishly noted and I clenched my jaw, tearing my gaze away from her.

"My mind, my personality—were literally burned out of me." Peter said as he drug Derek across the floor by his neck. I watched with terror and tried to think of something to do but there was no way I could take on an alpha by myself. "I was driven by pure instinct." He dropped Derek and then bent down beside the unconscious nurse.

"You want forgiveness?" Derek snapped and threw a punch to Peter's face. He tried to hit him again but Peter was faster.

"I want understanding." Peter muttered and then landed a kick to Derek's chest, sending him flying across the room. In Peter's hand, were car keys. "Do you have any idea…what it was like for me during those years? Slowly healing, cell by cell. Even more slowly coming back to consciousness?" Peter began to descend on Derek. "Yes, becoming an alpha, taking that from Laura pushed me over the plateau in the healing process. I can't help that."

Derek shot up from the floor and tried to land blows on Peter but the alpha dodged every single swing. Stiles and I watched from around the counter with worry, both panting and shaking. Peter grabbed one hand and clenched the fist, the sounds of bone popping making me grimace. Derek groaned and fell to his knees, his face covered in blood. "I tried to tell you what was happening." Peter whispered. "I tried to warn you." He picked Derek up off the ground and suddenly launched him in the direction of the desk. Andre scampered out of the way as glass rained down on her and Derek rolled in between the desks. Derek began to crawl away and Peter followed him. I watched…defenseless, torn,…and couldn't do a damn thing about it.

* * *

 **AN: Holy shit...that was the giant climax for Tessa's story line. I've been waiting till the end to reveal it and I am so glad I finally got it out there so hopefully you can all give me feedback! I hope it doesn't seem to cliche that she's a part of the Hale family but that's what I really wanted for her. I've literally been dying to reveal this to you all but I waited until you least expected it. Hopefully everything made sense, the way it all fell together, and this showed us a new side of Tessa. She cried for the first time, so that's pretty big. She admitted that she liked Stiles. Jackson's a mega douche. We know who the alpha is. And Andre knew about her being a Hale already, WHAT?**

 **Anyways, please, please, please leave reviews because I love them so much!**


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